KEY POINTS
- The Houthis claimed responsibility for the drone attack on a “sensitive site”.
- Israeli military confirmed its air defence systems failed to detect the drone.
TEL AVIV, Israel: The Israeli army said Monday that a drone claimed by Yemen’s Houthis struck an apartment in central Israel amid rising regional tensions over its ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
A military statement said the drone hit the apartment in Yavne city after air defence systems failed to detect it.
No injuries were reported in the attack, which caused damage to several apartments in the building, Israeli media reported.
“Following the initial report, a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that likely originated in Yemen impacted in the area of Yavne,” the military said.
The Houthis later claimed responsibility for the strike, with the group’s spokesman saying “The drone units targeted a sensitive target of the Israeli enemy in Yavne”.
The army said it is investigating the failure of the air-raid sirens to detect the drone.
A spokesperson for Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said reports were received of “an explosion” on a balcony high up in the building in Yavne, and that after a search, no injuries were reported.
In solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis have targeted Israeli sites, cargo ships, or those associated with Tel Aviv with missiles and drones, expressing their determination to continue operations until the end of the onslaught on the enclave.
Britain and the United States-led coalition has been conducting airstrikes since the beginning of 2024 that it said are targeting Houthi locations in parts of Yemen in response to attacks by the group on shipping in the Red Sea. The counterattacks have been occasionally met with retaliation from the group.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on southern Israel.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 44,758 people, mostly civilians, according to data from the health ministry that is considered reliable by the UN.
