Yemen's Houthis claim responsibility for deadly drone attack on Tel Aviv
Yemen's Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone attack on the Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Friday, that killed one person and injured several others.
The Houthis, who govern large parts of northern Yemen, said in a statement that they "carried out a specific military operation, which consisted of targeting one of the important targets in the occupied Jaffa region, what is now called Israeli Tel Aviv."
Calling their new drone 'Yafa', named after the old city, that is now part of modern-day Tel Aviv, the Houthis, known as Ansar Allah, claimed it is capable of bypassing Israel’s interception systems.
The Times of Israel reported that eight people were hospitalised following the attack which seems to have avoided detection from Israel's defences.
"An initial inquiry indicates that the explosion in Tel Aviv was caused by the falling of an aerial target, and no sirens were activated. The incident is under thorough review," the Israeli military said in a statement.
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The army added that its air force will increase patrols by fighter jets "to defend Israeli skies." It has not, however, ordered new civil defence measures.
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said in a statement that the city is "moving to a higher state of alert" following the attack.
"The war is still here, and it is difficult and painful," he said. "We are prepared for developments, if there will be any."
The unprecedented attack took place hours after Israel killed two top commanders from the Lebanese Iran-backed group Hezbollah in south Lebanon.
Following the strike, which the Houthis say was done in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, the military spokesperson for the Yemeni group said that "the Yemeni Armed Forces declare the occupied Jaffa [Tel Aviv] region an unsafe area and will be a primary target within the range of our weapons. and will focus on targeting the Zionist enemy’s internal front and reaching the depths."
The Houthis were already engaged in months-long targeting of ships in the Red Sea they claim were linked to Israel, with June seeing their largest uptick in attacks this year, despite US-led efforts to target the movement in a series of strikes and a naval presence in the Red Sea.
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