Yemen’s Houthis claim responsibility for drone attack on Israel near US diplomatic building

The Israeli military was investigating a surprise drone strike claimed by the Iran-backed Houthis that killed at least one person and wounded eight others near the US embassy in Tel Aviv.

The incident came just hours after the Israeli Air Force said it had killed two senior commanders of Hezbollah, a separate Iran-backed group based in southern Lebanon. Israel and Hezbollah have been trading attacks across the border for months, raising fears they are moving ever closer to open war.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that an initial investigation had shown that the explosion in Tel Aviv was caused by “the fall of an aerial target” – a term usually used for drones. According to Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency services, a 50-year-old man was killed in the explosion. Several people suffered shrapnel injuries.

A Houthis military spokesman claimed the group attacked Tel Aviv with a drone that could evade Israel’s missile and drone warning and interception systems, and would continue to attack Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza war. The Houthis control large parts of Yemen and have been firing drones into Israel’s southern territory for months, as well as attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

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The Israel Defense Forces said they were currently investigating why “no sirens were activated” and that they had increased their air patrols over Israeli airspace.

The US Central Command said in a statement late Thursday that its forces had destroyed two surface-to-air missiles and four drones on the ground in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in the past 24 hours.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said the city had been placed on a heightened state of alert following the suspected drone attack. “The war is still here, and it is hard and painful,” he said in a post on the social media platform X.

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Israel continues its air strikes on Gaza, even though the war there has now been going on for ten months. Talks between Israel and Hamas on a ceasefire that would provide for the release of hostages held by Hamas have stalled.

Former President Donald Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during his term in office, a controversial decision as Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The explosion near the Tel Aviv office occurred in a central district that is home to numerous diplomatic missions.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yemen’s Houthis claim responsibility for drone attack on Tel Aviv