Drone fired from Yemen explodes in Yavne, no sirens sound

A drone that likely crossed into Israeli territory from Yemen crashed in the city of Yavne in central Israel with no sirens sounding, the military confirmed on Monday, adding that the incident was under investigation. 

Earlier, the Yavne municipality said that an explosion was heard in a residential building in the city, as the IDF said it had received reports regarding a suspicious aerial target crashing in the area. 

The municipality added that the details of the incident were under review by security officials on site, noting that at this stage, no injuries had been reported. 

According to an earlier Army Radio report, the explosion was caused by a drone that had infiltrated Israel undetected from either Iraq or Yemen and, therefore, had not been intercepted. 

מסתמן: המטרה החשודה ביבנה - כטב"ם מעיראק או מתימן שלא זוהה על ידי מערכות הגילוי של חיל האוויר, ולכן גם לא בוצעו ניסיונות יירוט. בצה"ל פתחו בתחקור האירוע@Doron_Kadosh https://t.co/wloOWHR24Y

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) December 9, 2024

No injuries reported 

Israel's emergency service, Magen David Adom (MDA), stated that its paramedics had searched the building, and no injuries had been reported. 

MDA paramedics Israel Weingarten and Roy Ben Shushan recounted what they saw upon arrival at the scene. "We arrived at the scene quickly with large forces and saw thick smoke rising from the balcony on the top floor of the building. We entered the apartment from which the smoke was coming and saw destruction on the balcony. We conducted a search of the apartment and other apartments in the building, and at this stage, no casualties were found."

The police later said they were conducting searches in the Yavne area as well as the larger Shfela region to rule out further threats.  

Houthis claim mission accomplished

Hours after the explosion, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced that the terror group carried out a "quality military operation" during which they attacked a "sensitive target of the Israeli enemy" in the Yavne area using a drone that hit its target "precisely."