Current:Home > NewsYemen's Houthis claim drone strike on Tel Aviv that Israeli military says killed 1 and wounded 8 people -Secure Growth Academy
Yemen's Houthis claim drone strike on Tel Aviv that Israeli military says killed 1 and wounded 8 people
View
Date:2025-04-15 12:00:06
A large explosion rocked the streets of central Tel Aviv in the early Friday morning hours, jolting Israelis out of bed, shattering windows and raining down shrapnel in what Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed as an attack using a new explosive drone. Israeli officials said later Friday morning that the blast was caused by a drone fired from Yemen, and that one man in his 50s was killed by shrapnel that tore into his home and at least eight other people were wounded.
The Iran-backed Houthi movement, which has been fighting Yemen's internationally recognized government in a decade-long civil war, claimed responsibility for the explosion, saying in social media messages that it marked a "new phase" in its operations against Israel in response to the Israelis' ongoing war against the Houthis' ideological ally Hamas.
The Houthis said the strike used a "new drone called 'Yafa', which is capable of bypassing the enemy's interception systems," but a U.S. official told CBS News on Friday, echoing the Israeli military's analysis, that it appeared to have been one of the group's existing drones, with a modified fuel tank to extend its range.
The explosion caused by the drone was very near the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv, but it remained unclear whether that was the target. There were no U.S. casualties reported.
Israeli authorities said the explosion hit an apartment building in Tel Aviv at 3:12 a.m. (7:12 p.m. Eastern on Thursday).
In a statement, Israel Defense Forces chief spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the drone "hit a building in central Tel Aviv where a civilian was killed and eight were slightly injured." He confirmed that "no alert was triggered" and said the military was investigating how the weapon had slipped through Israel's advanced air defenses.
Hagari said a preliminary investigation showed the drone "was fired from Yemen and it is an Iranian weapon that has been upgraded to extend the range."
"Iran supports and arms its affiliates. So far, dozens of drones have been launched from Yemen, most of which were intercepted or shot down by CENTCOM [U.S. military] or Israel's defense systems," Hagari said, adding that another drone was shot down outside the Israel's borders early Friday as it approached from the east, and that the military was "checking the connection between the two events."
Three U.S. officials told CBS News there are currently no U.S. Navy ships deployed in the Red Sea, which could have helped to intercept the drone. The official said it was not part of a swarm attack, but a solitary drone launched at Israel.
Based on verified social media videos, CBS News confirmed the blast occurred a little more than 200 yards from the U.S. consulate in Tel Aviv. A U.S. official told CBS News that no American casualties had been reported.
The Houthis have launched drones and missiles at Israel and at commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and surrounding waters throughout the nine-month war, in solidarity with Hamas. But until Friday, all the weapons fired at Israel had been intercepted by either Israel or its Western allies.
Israel has so far not carried out any attacks on the Houthis directly, allowing its allies the U.S. and Britain to take the lead instead as it focuses its efforts on the war in Gaza and ongoing fighting with Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group, which is also backed by Iran.
In a statement issued later Friday, Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant vowed to "bring to justice anyone who harms the State of Israel," and said he had held an assessment "to review the steps required to strengthen our defense arrays in light of events overnight, as well as the intelligence and operational activities required against those responsible for the attack."
CBS News' Eleanor Watson in Washington D.C. contributed to this report.
- In:
- Israel
- Tel Aviv
- Explosion
veryGood! (35244)
Related
- Sam Taylor
- A rare piebald cow elk is spotted in Colorado by a wildlife biologist: See pictures
- LSU QB Jayden Daniels wins Heisman Trophy despite team's struggles
- Micah Parsons listed on Cowboys' injury report with illness ahead of Eagles game
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Diamonds in the vacuum cleaner: Paris’ luxury Ritz hotel finds guest’s missing ring
- Petrochemical giant’s salt mine ruptures in northeastern Brazil. Officials warn of collapse
- 'Tragic': Catholic priest died after attack in church rectory in Nebraska
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- 6 teens convicted over their roles in teacher's beheading in France
Ranking
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- 3 coffee table books featuring gardens recall the beauty in our endangered world
- Congo’s president makes campaign stop near conflict zone and blasts Rwanda for backing rebels
- Agreeing to agree: Everyone must come to consensus at COP28 climate talks, toughening the process
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Snowfall, rain, gusty winds hit Northeast as Tennessee recovers from deadly tornadoes
- CBS News poll finds Americans feel inflation's impact on living standards, opportunities
- Allison Holker Honors Late Husband Stephen tWitch Boss on 10th Wedding Anniversary
Recommendation
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Biden administration says New Hampshire computer chip plant the first to get funding from CHIPS law
Derek Hough says wife Hayley Erbert is recovering following 'unfathomable' craniectomy
Vikings beat Raiders 3-0 in lowest-scoring NFL game in 16 years
The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
US Climate Activists at COP28 Slam Their Home Country for Hypocrisy
Key evidence in the disappearance and death of millionaire Andreen McDonald
Key evidence in the disappearance and death of millionaire Andreen McDonald