Overnight drone attack hits Tel Aviv: 1 dead, 8 wounded in apparent drone strike from Yemen

A drone allegedly launched from Yemen exploded near an apartment building in Tel Aviv early on Friday morning, killing one Israeli and wounding eight others, the IDF and rescue services confirmed.

According to Tel Aviv police, an explosion shook Tel Aviv around 3 a.m., triggering hundreds of concerned calls to the police hotline. The explosion happened in the air and was reportedly heard all across the greater Tel Aviv area.

The blast caused significant damage to several buildings, with shrapnel killing a 50-year-old man, and lightly wounding four people. Four additional victims were treated for shock and anxiety, the Magen David Adom rescue service stated.

To everyone chanting “bomb Tel Aviv” at Free Palestine protests: This strike is a direct consequence of your dehumanization of Jews and Israelis.

This attack should be condemned, yet people are already celebrating it. It’s despicable.

Does this terror seriously make you happy? pic.twitter.com/gzOOtsDkr4

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) July 19, 2024

“A preliminary investigation shows that the explosion in Tel Aviv was caused by the fall of an aerial target, which did not trigger a warning. The matter is under in-depth investigation. Many forces are now operating in place,” Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

“The Air Force will increase the patrols of the planes operating to protect the country’s skies. There is no change in the directives of the Home Front Command,” the IDF added.

An initial probe by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) later showed that the drone was detected but not recognized as a hostile target due to human error, Army Radio reported.

The explosion occurred just a short walking distance from the U.S. Consulate building in Tel Aviv.

To see how close the US Embassy Branch office (formerly the Embassy) is to the impact of the drone in Tel Aviv pic.twitter.com/jEScJtXjoG

— Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) July 19, 2024

The Yemeni Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the terror group launched a new, locally-produced drone nicknamed “Jaffa,” at the town of Jaffa, which today is part of the city of Tel Aviv.

The Saudi Al-Arabiya news channel reported that the attack originally included a ballistic missile and four drones. The missile and three drones were reportedly intercepted by U.S. forces in the region.

Israel’s Army Radio confirmed the IAF did receive an earlier report regarding an attack from Yemen but still investigating whether it was the same incident or a separate launch.

At the time of publication, the IDF had not officially confirmed the attack was launched from Yemen.

The site of the Drone attack this morning in Tel Aviv at the corner of Shalom Aleichem and Ben-Yahuda 23, a block from the US Embassy Branch office. pic.twitter.com/8G4r8mwgvR

— Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) July 19, 2024

Houthi terrorists have been attacking Israel since October but so far have not succeeded in killing or wounding Israelis or hitting any significant target. Most of the terror group's attacks were intercepted over the Red Sea by Israel or the U.S.-led coalition in the region.

Ron Huldai, the mayor of Tel Aviv, said the city was “moving to a higher state of alert,” and calling on citizens to follow security instructions.

“The war is still here, and it is hard and painful. We are prepared for developments if there are any,” Huldai added.

According to Army Radio, the IAF is examining what route the drone took and how it managed to evade detection as a hostile target while flying a distance of over 2,000 kilometers (nearly 1,250 miles).