Yemen’s Houthis Claim Deadly Drone Attack On Israel’s Tel Aviv (Videos)

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An Israeli man was killed an several others were wounded early on July 19 when a suicide drone hit the city of Tel Aviv in an attack that was claimed by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen.

According to an initial investigation by the Israeli Air Force (IAF), the drone was identified, but due to a human error, it was not engaged by air defenses. As no action was taken against the identified target, no warning sirens were sounded.

The drone hit an apartment building in Tel Aviv, after entering the city from the direction of the sea. The origin of the drone, which according to the probe flew toward Israel from a distant country at a low altitude for several hours, was still being probed by the IAF.

As of now, the IAF believes that the drone came from the southern direction, possibly Yemen, although it was not ruling out other launch sites, such as Iraq or Syria.

A man in his 50s was killed as a result of the drone strike, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service, which noted that eight others were also wounded.

The Houthis later claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, Houthi military spokesperson, Brigade General Yahya Sarea, said that the group had carried out a “qualitative military operation” targeting Tel Aviv, using what it said was a new drone dubbed “Jaffa” capable of evading countermeasures.

The attack, the spokesman said, was carried out in response to Israeli “massacres” in the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip. He added that Tel Aviv will continue to be a primary target for the Houthis.

It’s worth noting that the United States Central Command said in a statement released after the attack that its forces had destroyed two surface-to-air missiles and four drones on the ground in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

However, the IAF noted that the command was referring to incidents on July 18 morning and was not directly related to the overnight attack.

The IAF said the attack on Tel Aviv “shouldn’t have happened” and it took full responsibility for the failure that led to the deadly drone strike.

In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement that the attack was under “thorough investigation.” The military also said the IAF would increase patrols by fighter jets “to defend Israeli skies”

“There is no change in the Home Front Command’s orders,” the IDF added.

The Houthis have attacked dozens of vessels affiliated with Israel or owned by the U.S. and the United Kingdom in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea since November in response to the Israeli war and siege on Gaza.

During the same period, the group launched dozens of drones and missiles at the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat and shot down six American-made combat drones over Yemen and nearby waters.

The attack on Tel Aviv was the group’s most successful operation against Israeli territory, so far. It was also a major blow to the U.S. and other Western allies of Israel who amassed a large naval force in the Red Sea to defend the country and launched hundreds of strikes against Yemen since January in a futile attempt to deter the group.

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