Houthi rebels launched a drone attack in Tel Aviv on Friday in what is believed to be a retaliatory act for Israel’s war with Hamas.
The attack killed a 50-year-old man and injured at least ten others, according to reports. The strike happened in Tel Aviv’s central district, reportedly where multiple diplomatic missions are located, including a U.S. Embassy branch office. The attack led to much confusion in Israel’s city, including reports that the drone was noticed before the attack. Human error was blamed for not intercepting it and failing to activate sirens ahead of time.
Shortly after the strike, the Houthi group claimed responsibility. Yahya Sare’e, a spokesperson for the Houthi organization, reportedly claimed the attack was a success and a “significant military operation” that detected vulnerabilities in Israel’s defense efforts. According to reports, a new drone used was able to bypass “the enemy’s interception systems.” Sare’e also said that such strikes would continue.
“We will continue to strike these targets in response to the enemy’s massacres and daily crimes against our brothers in the Gaza Strip,” Sare’e said. “Our operations will only cease when the aggression stops, and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.”
Ron Huldai, Tel Aviv’s mayor, stated in a social media post on X, that the city remained on high alert after the strike, the Washington Post reported.
The Houthis, also known as Ansarallah, were designated as a terrorist group by the Biden administration in Jan. 2024.
“Since November, the Houthis have launched unprecedented attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as military forces positioned in the area to defend the safety and security of commercial shipping,” read a release from the State Department at the time. “These attacks against international shipping have endangered mariners, disrupted the free flow of commerce, and interfered with navigational rights and freedoms.”
“This designation seeks to promote accountability for the group’s terrorist activities,” the State Department claimed. “If the Houthis cease their attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, the United States will reevaluate this designation.”
