Drone attack on Tel Aviv means war with the West, experts say

A deadly drone attack by the Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis in Tel Aviv marks a dangerous escalation and points to a broader conflict between Iran and the West, according to a prominent Middle East expert.

One person was killed and at least ten injured in the drone attack, which occurred around 3 a.m. local time on Friday.

Subsequent evidence shows that it was an Iranian-made Samad-3 drone used by the Houthi rebels that landed in the immediate vicinity of the US consulate, the site of the former US embassy in Tel Aviv.

As of Friday, all Houthis’ drones or missiles aimed at Israel had been intercepted. The Israeli military is currently investigating why it missed the drone. However, the Houthis have seriously disrupted international trade in the Red Sea since November by attacking cargo ships and tankers. The US and Britain have repeatedly carried out retaliatory strikes against Houthis’ military targets, but have failed to deter the Iran-backed militia, which controls more than half of Yemen.

Alex Selsky, a consultant to the Middle East Forum, said the explosion proved that this was not a war between Israel and Iran’s proxies, but a larger conflict being played out in Israel. He said Israel is a symbol of the United States and the West in the Middle East and is paying a price for it.

“It proves again and again that it is not just about Gaza, it is not just about Lebanon and it is not just about Israel. It is about the United States and the West. Because such an attack cannot be carried out without minimal coordination and maximum instructions from Iran. And such a thing cannot happen without the support of its biggest allies, Russia and China,” Selsky said.

Selsky, who was also a former adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said the timing and location of the attack were significant.

The strike took place just as former President Donald Trump announced his Keynote speech on the fourth and final night of the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Thursday evening in Milwaukee, just five days after an assassination attempt that could have ended his life. Then the drone attack near the US consulate in Tel Aviv.

Selsky said that ultimately no one knows for sure if it was all intentional, but that if you connect the dots, a pattern emerges.

Beni Sabti, an Iran expert at the Israel Institute for National Security and Strategy (INSS), said the drone attack in Tel Aviv exposed a weakness in Israel’s defense strategy and could embolden opponents if no action was taken.

The cornerstone of Israel’s national security strategy is its “defense strategy,” which reflects the country’s preference to manage conflict as much as possible.

“It is time for Israel to show itself, its capabilities and its quality,” Sabti told Iran International.

He compared it to a football game and said that when playing, you cannot always be on the defensive, but also have to attack to win the game.

“You can’t just defend yourself. You have to go to the source to neutralize it, even if it’s in Yemen. If you don’t want to deal with Iran directly, you have to deal with the shooter. If we don’t go for the head, we have to deal with the fingers or hands that do it,” he said.

In April, Iran launched a massive barrage of 350 rockets and drones at Israel. Israeli air defenses and allied warplanes shot down 99% of the missiles, but it was the first time the Islamic government in Iran dared to attack Israel directly. There was one limited Israeli retaliatory strike against a target in Iran and there has been no escalation since.

The Israel Defense Forces told X on Friday: “Regardless of who pulls the trigger, we know who is loading the weapon.”

According to the Jerusalem Post, Israeli officials are hinting at a possible response on Yemeni territory and are considering a retaliatory attack.

There has been no official comment from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so far, but IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari has published an article on X about the latest attack.

“We are waging a war on several fronts. Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the militias in Iraq and Syria, the Houthis in Yemen, all Iranian proxies and Iran itself.”

According to Reuters, a Houthis spokesman, Yahya Saree, said they would continue their attacks on Israel.

There are fears that a larger regional conflict could emerge, as Israel has faced daily rocket and artillery fire from Hezbollah since the war in Gaza.