Yemen’s Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, announced on Friday that the group attacked Tel Aviv with a drone and plans to continue targeting Israel in solidarity with Palestinians involved in the Gaza conflict.
The attack, claimed by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, struck central Tel Aviv in the early hours of Friday, resulting in the death of one man and minor injuries to four others, according to Israeli military and emergency services.
In a televised address, Sarea identified Tel Aviv as a key target. “The Yemeni [Houthi] armed forces declare the occupied Jaffa area as an unsafe area and a primary target for our weapons. We will focus on targeting the Zionist enemy’s internal front and reaching its strategic depth,” he said.
The explosion, which did not trigger air raid alarms, occurred shortly after the Israeli military confirmed the killing of a senior commander of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon.
Since the onset of the Gaza war, Israel has been engaged in daily missile and artillery exchanges with Hezbollah along its northern border and in southern Lebanon, raising concerns about the potential for a broader regional conflict.
The Houthis have intensified attacks on Israel and Western targets, citing their support for the Palestinians.
This latest assault on Tel Aviv is expected to heighten concerns about the broader implications of the Gaza conflict, as the Houthis and other Iranian proxies align with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Israel invaded the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel in October of last year.
