An explosive drone impacted inside Tel Aviv, Israel early on Friday morning, causing multiple casualties.
The Houthi faction in Yemen has claimed responsibility for the attack, which they said struck “an important target” in the area. The Israeli military said the drone struck a residential building in central Tel Aviv.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said the drone strike killed one civilian and injured eight more.
Hagari said the drone flew in from the west, coming in from over the sea. He said no alert was activated when the drone struck.
“We are investigating the incident, and checking why the UAV was not identified as a threat and was not intercepted before it hit,” the Israeli spokesman said.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sare’e said they used a new model of drone that’s difficult to detect by radar and capable of avoiding interceptor systems.
Hagari said Israeli authorities believe the drone in question was an Iranian-designed Zimad 3 model modified to fly for extended periods of time.
At the same time the Houthi drone flew into Tel Aviv from the west, Hagari said Israeli air defenses detected and intercepted another drone coming in from the east.
Videos posted to social media purported to show a view near where the drone impacted.
The Houthis are a primarily Shia Muslim faction and have fought with Yemen’s predominantly Sunni Muslim government for years. A U.S.-backed Saudi Arabian-led coalition of Arab states intervened against the Houthis, but the rebel faction has persisted and now maintains control over a sizeable portion of the country, including the capital city of Sana’a.
The Yemeni civil war has largely died down in recent months with efforts to establish and maintain a lasting ceasefire in the country, but the Houthis turned their attention outward in October, to the ongoing fight between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Houthis have claimed solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and have launched drone and missile attacks from Yemen to disrupt Israel.
Most of the Houthi attacks have targeted commercial ships in the Red Sea and its adjoining waterways. The Houthis have claimed to target ships connected to Israel or its allies and partners. But some attacks have also targeted Israeli cities, such as Eilat.
The drone strike comes as Israeli forces continue to battle in the Gaza Strip, and as they face an escalating conflict to their northern border, with Hezbollah.
This article was originally published by FreeBase News and is reprinted with permission.
