Houthi rebels launch deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv

An Iranian drone struck a residential building in the Israeli capital early Friday morning, killing one civilian, the Israel Defense Forces said. The deadly attack was carried out by the Yemen-based Houthi rebels, which wounded 10 other people, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said. The attack targeted a civilian area near the US embassy. Authorities have launched a thorough investigation to find out why warning sirens were not activated before the attack, the Israeli Air Force said.

In a separate incident, the military shot down a suspicious air target coming from Lebanon hours after the Tel Aviv attack, the Israeli Air Force added. Authorities are currently investigating a connection between the attacks, Hagari said. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels began attacking ships on and near commercial shipping routes along the Red Sea after Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attacks and have carried out dozens of attacks since then.

How does Israel know that the Houthis are responsible? The Houthis’ military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, claimed responsibility for the attack in a broadcast on Friday morning. The Houthis had deployed a new drone capable of evading the enemy’s interception systems and radars, he said. The Houthis have a list of targets in Israel, including military areas, Saree added.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the US reclassification of the Houthis as terrorists earlier this year.