One dead, ten wounded after Houthi-claimed drone attack strikes Tel Aviv

A drone attack was carried out on Ben Yehuda Street on the corner of Shalom Aleichem near the US Consulate after loud explosions were heard in Tel Aviv early Friday morning. Yemen's Houthis subsequently claimed responsibility for the attack.

During searches by emergency services, the body of a lifeless man, later named as Yevgeny Perder, 50, with shrapnel marks on his body was found in an apartment near the location of the explosion. Ten people were taken to hospital with minor wounds, according to Israeli media.

Police, fire, and rescue services were deployed to the area and told Israeli media that there was no fire. The source of the explosion is not yet known.

An IDF spokesperson announced that a preliminary investigation shows that the explosion in Tel Aviv "was caused by the fall of an aerial target, which did not trigger a warning."

According to the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya/al-Hadath channel, the United States intercepted a ballistic missile and three drones launched by the Houthis at Israel on Friday night, but the fourth managed to hit Tel Aviv.

The IDF is continuing to investigate the explosion.

מבדיקה ראשונית עולה כי הפיצוץ בתל אביב נגרם כתוצאה מנפילה של מטרה אווירית, שלא הפעילה התרעה. הנושא נמצא בתחקור מעמיק. כוחות רבים פועלים כעת במקום.חיל האוויר תגבר את פטרולי המטוסים הפועלים להגנת שמי המדינה.אין שינוי בהנחיות פיקוד העורף

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 19, 2024

Residents who live near the place of the explosion say that objects were shattered in their houses as a result of the blast.

Soon after the attack, a leader of Yemen's Houthis, Hezam al-Asad, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "Tel Aviv" with a burning emoji. No official statement has been made by Israel regarding this connection.

The spokesman of Yemen's Houthis, Yahya Sarie, said on X that the group will reveal details about a military operation that targeted Tel Aviv.

"הדובר הרשמי של כוחות המזוינים בתימן, האלוף יחיא סריע, יחשוף פרטים על המבצע הצבאי האיכותי שביצע תקיפה בלב תל אביב שבפלסטין הכבושה." pic.twitter.com/WanCRUAsKO

— حزام الأسد (@hezamalasad) July 19, 2024

Several wounded

Magen David Adom reported that a 37-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were slightly injured, and they are fully conscious and were taken to the Ichilov Hospital with shrapnel injuries to their limbs and shoulder. In addition, four were being treated for shock at the scene.

בשעה 03:12 התקבל דיווח במוקד 101 של מד"א במרחב דן, על חפץ שהתפוצץ ברח' שלום עליכם פינת בן יהודה בתל אביב. חובשים ופראמדיקים של מד"א מעניקים טיפול רפואי ומפנים לבי"ח איכילוב, גבר כבן 37 וצעירה כבת 25 במצב קל, בהכרה מלאה עם פציעות מרסיסים בגפיים ובכתף. בנוסף מטופלים 4 נפגעי חרדה.

— מגן דוד אדום (@mda_israel) July 19, 2024

MDA Spokesperson Zaki Heller later said, "Following a search of the area, an unconscious male was found in one of the nearby buildings with penetrating injuries. EMTs and Paramedics treated eight casualties, including four with shrapnel and blast injuries, and four with anxiety symptoms."

The Home Front Command stated, "No aerial intrusion into the country's central area was detected, and therefore, no alarm was triggered - the incident is under investigation."

The police said: "A short time ago, a report was received at the police headquarters about hearing an explosion in a building in Tel Aviv. Large forces of the Tel Aviv District Police and police engineers arrived at the scene."

The Mayor of Tel Aviv, Ron Huldai, posted on X: "The Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo is on heightened alert in light of the severe UAV incident tonight, in which one person was killed and others were injured. The war is still here, and it is hard and painful. The municipal forces arrived at the spot quickly and dealt with the incident, and we are prepared for developments, if any. I call on the public to obey gov't instructions."

The head of the Golan Regional Council, Ori Kallner, according to Ynet, commented on the explosion in Tel Aviv and said that "there is no difference between a drone strike in the heart of Tel Aviv and incessant firing on the north of the country. The State of Israel must restore deterrence in the north, south and center."

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotritch said: "The war we embarked on was forced upon us by the monsters of Hamas and brought out the metastases of Iran from their hiding places."

Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir added that "When you contain the fire on Kiryat Shmona and Sderot, you receive fire on Tel Aviv." 

US ambassador to Israel Jack Lew said he was "shocked by the brazen Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv" and that he was "thankful our U.S. Embassy Branch Office personnel are all safe." 

Israel police

Israel police stated that they rushed to the area after receiving hundreds of reports at around 03:00 am. 

They reported that the commander of the Tel Aviv District, Superintendent Peretz Omar Kaim, together with the commander of the Yarkon Region, Yehiel Bohdana, assessed the situation in the field with all the emergency and rescue forces.

They called on the residents to obey the directives of the Home Front Command, to not touch the remnants of rockets that may contain explosives, and to report this without delay to Moked 100.

This is a developing story.