World News

Houthi drone attack rocks Tel Aviv near US embassy branch office, injuring 7

Yemen seemingly attacked Tel Aviv in an early morning drone attack Friday morning — just one block away from a US embassy branch office, according to Israeli officials and media.

An explosion erupted just before 3:15 a.m. in the coastal city, shattering the glass of nearby homes, video of the chaos shows. At least one building sustained blast damage.

Seven people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, local outlet Maariv reported.

Emergency personnel working at the explosion site during the Israel-Hamas conflict in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 19, 2024
The blast went off just one block from the US embassy in Tel Aviv. REUTERS

Among them were a 37-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman who sustained shrapnel injuries to their limbs and shoulder, according to Israel’s national emergency agency.

A man was found dead in an apartment close to the explosion, but police are still investigating whether it was related to the blast.

The military spokesman of Yemen’s Houthi militants — which like Hezbollah are backed by Iran –apparently took responsibility for the strike, saying on X that the group would reveal details about a military operation that targeted Tel Aviv.

The Israeli Defense Forces said it was investigating the explosion as an aerial strike.

No sirens were activated.

The explosion comes after the Israeli military killed two senior Islamic Jihad commanders, including one who allegedly took part in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, in two separate airstrikes over Gaza City.

A woman reacting to an explosion amid the Israel-Hamas conflict in Tel-Aviv, Israel, July 19, 2024, with other Israelis gathered around.
The IDF is investigating the explosion as a suspected aerial strike. REUTERS

The airstrikes in Gaza City were part of the latest wave of bombardments in the Palestinian enclave, with three others killed in the blasts that took out the Islamic Jihad terror commanders, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health.

Islamic Jihad is among the extremist groups that helped Hamas carry out the brutal terrorist attack on Oct. 7 that left more than 1,200 people dead in Israel and triggered the start of the war.

With Post wires