Gaza, July 19: Houthi fighters claimed responsibility for the suspected drone attack on Israel’s Tel Aviv, which killed one person and injured at least 10, according to reports.
A spokesperson for the Houthi armed forces in a post on social media said that the Yemen-based group had “targeted ‘Tel Aviv’ in occupied Palestine”.
An explosion rumbled through the streets of central Tel Aviv early on July 19 Friday morning after an apparent drone strike caused shards of shrapnel to rain down.
Israel’s military said that they were reviewing the explosion and increasing air patrols after the incident, which its initial inquiries determined was caused by “an aerial target.” It was not clear how the strike evaded Israel’s air defenses or how Israel might respond.
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai called the attack a drone strike on the social media platform X, though the military has not yet specified the nature of the attack.
Yemen’s Houthis have repeatedly launched drones and missiles toward Israel throughout the nine-month-long war, in sympathy with Hamas. All were intercepted by either Israel or Western allies with forces stationed in the region.
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 Israel invaded the Gaza Strip after the attack by Hamas last October.
The latest development comes as international mediators continue to hold out hope for a cease-fire agreement, pushing Israel and Hamas toward a phased deal that would halt fighting and free about 120 hostages held by the militant group in Gaza.
