A man has been killed and at least eight people injured in a drone attack in central Tel Aviv, Israel. The attack occurred when a block of flats was hit by an Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which had been modified to fly long distances.
The Houthi movement in Yemen, over 1,000 miles away, claimed responsibility for the attack and vowed to stage more. Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said an initial investigation pointed to the attack having originated in Yemen.
“If the Houthis are responsible, it would mark a significant escalation in their attacks on Israel,” said Rear Admiral Hagari.
The attack occurred at 03:12 (00:12 GMT) and the explosion was heard for several miles around. Local media named the man who was killed as Yevgeny Ferder, 50, who moved to Israel from Belarus two years ago.
The Israeli Air Force took full responsibility for the failure to prevent the attack, saying it “shouldn’t have happened”.
Senior military correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, Yonah Jeremy Bob, said “The Israeli defense establishment is in a state of complete shock” over the attack.
Following the incident, Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant held a security briefing with the country’s security chiefs. “The defense establishment is working to reinforce all defense mechanisms and will bring to justice anyone who harms the State of Israel,” Mr. Gallant said afterwards.
A military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, said the strike had been conducted with a new drone capable of bypassing interception systems. He declared Tel Aviv “an unsafe area” and said it “will be a primary target within the range of our weapons”.
The Israeli military said it was increasing air patrols, while Tel Aviv’s mayor said the city was on high alert.
Local resident Alon told Haaretz newspaper that when the blast happened “the whole building shook”. “My neighbours’ windows shattered, so I was sure something had hit the building. It was only when I went outside that I realised that several buildings had been damaged.”
The incident also came after the Israeli military confirmed it had killed a senior commander of the Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah and Israel have traded fire across the border since Hezbollah launched rockets a day after Israel began its military offensive on Gaza.
