Middle East CrisisHouthis Claim Responsibility for Drone Attack That Evaded Israeli Defense Systems

The Iran-backed Houthi militia claimed responsibility for a rare drone attack in central Tel Aviv that crashed into a building near the United States Embassy branch office early Friday, killing at least one person and wounding eight others.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, told reporters that Israel’s defense systems had apparently picked up the drone but failed to register it as a threat. No air-raid sirens were activated to warn civilians of the attack, despite Israel’s extensive aerial defense system.

“We are investigating why we did not identify it, attack it and intercept it,” Admiral Hagari said.

An Israeli military official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said there was a possibility that human error might have allowed the drone to penetrate Israeli airspace, rather than a gap in the military’s detection systems.

The Israeli military said the drone had likely flown from Yemen, where the Houthis are based, before approaching Tel Aviv from the coast. Video posted on X and verified by The New York Times shows what appears to be a unmanned aerial vehicle approaching west of Tel Aviv, followed by a blast at the location of the strike.

Pentagon officials expressed doubts that the Houthis were specifically targeting the U.S. diplomatic building, but could not rule it out.

It appeared to be the first time the Houthis had struck at such long range, more than 1,100 miles from the nearest Yemeni territory. “All Israeli cities have now come under the reach of our targeting,” a Houthi brigadier general, Abed Al-Thawr, said in an interview. He added, “There are weapons that haven’t been unveiled yet.”