Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
One person was killed and several others injured in a drone attack on central Tel Aviv in the early hours of Friday that was claimed by Houthi militants.
An Israeli military official said the attack, which took place around 3am local time and did not trigger air raid sirens, involved a large, long-range drone that was not intercepted by Israel’s air defence systems as a result of “human error”.
A military spokesperson for Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed on X that the group had fired a drone at Tel Aviv, the Mediterranean city which is Israel’s business hub.
The Houthis, who control northern Yemen, have sporadically targeted Israel since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted in Gaza in October. If they are confirmed to be behind the attack, it would mark the first time they have successfully targeted Tel Aviv.
The militants have fired missiles and drones at the southern port of Eilat but caused little damage, as most of the projectiles have been destroyed by Israeli defence systems. They have also launched multiple attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, severely disrupting the flow of goods through one of the world’s key maritime trade routes.
The Israeli military official said Israel was “not ruling out any possibilities” regarding the drone’s origin. Israel also intercepted a second drone on its eastern border, the official added, but said it was not clear whether the two had been launched by the same group.
Israel has stepped up air patrols in the wake of the blast, the military said.
Israeli police said one man had been found dead with shrapnel wounds in his apartment near the scene of the blast in downtown Tel Aviv, while a further 10 people with minor injuries had been evacuated for medical treatment.
“This is an event with an explosive that’s relatively big. It didn’t explode on the ground or on a building. Luckily it exploded in the air and that’s what saved the situation from creating a bigger damage scene and many more casualties,” said Tel Aviv police district commander Peretz Amar.
Roee Klein, from Israel’s paramedic service, said most of those affected had suffered shrapnel injuries while one person had suffered blast injuries.
Large numbers of police had been dispatched to the site of the blast and bomb disposal experts continued to search the area, police said.
The Houthis claim they are acting in support of the Palestinians as part of the so-called axis of resistance made up of militant groups backed by Iran. Israel and the US have accused Iran of supplying the Islamist movement with missile and drone technology.
Additional reporting by Neri Zilber in Tiberias
Credit: Source link
