Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a drone strike near a U.S. Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv on Friday, which resulted in the death of at least one person and injuries to several others.
An explosion occurred in the city center early Friday morning when an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) struck the area, according to an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official. The official confirmed that due to human error, no alert was issued for the incoming aerial attack.
Zaki Heller, spokesperson for Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical service, reported that a 50-year-old man was found dead in an apartment building affected by the strike. The IDF stated that at least 10 others were injured in the attack.
Video footage shared on social media showed the aftermath, with smoke filling the air, shattered glass, and debris scattered as ambulances and police arrived at the scene. Ken Davis, a 56-year-old actor from New York, described the incident in an interview with Reuters. “I was dead asleep, but the drone’s vibration woke me, and then the explosion rattled the whole building,” he said. “Everything was falling from the ceiling, and the windows blew out in my room.”
The backed Houthi rebels claimed the attack was “in support of the oppressed Palestinian people and their fighters” and a response to Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza. Local health officials report nearly 39,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israeli forces launched their offensive following Hamas’ attacks on October 7.
