A drone claimed by Yemen’s Huthi rebels slipped through Israel’s vaunted air defence system on Friday to hit a Tel Aviv building near a US embassy annex, killing a civilian.
The Huthis fired at Tel Aviv a “new drone called ‘Yafa’, which is capable of bypassing the enemy’s interception systems,” said Yahya Saree, the Iran-backed Yemeni movement’s spokesman.
The Huthis have targeted shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with numerous drone and missile attacks since November, citing solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
They have previously claimed attacks on Israeli cities including Ashdod, Haifa and Eilat, but Friday’s strike appears to be the first to breach Israel’s intricate air defences.
It comes after the rebels threatened an escalation.
An Israeli military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a “very big drone that can travel long distances” was used in the 3:12 am (0012 GMT) attack.
The drone was detected, he said, but due to “human error” the alarm was not raised in time, and it slammed into an apartment building.
Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel believed the drone used was Iranian-made and upgraded so it could reach Tel Aviv from Yemen -- at least 1,800 kilometres (1,100 miles) away.
It was “likely a Samad-3 model, which we estimate was launched from Yemen and reached Tel Aviv,” he said.
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