Houthis claim responsibility after bomb-laden drone slams into Tel Aviv apartment near US consulate, killing one and injuring ten.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
One person was killed and ten more injured after a explosive-laden drone aircraft slammed into an apartment building in Tel Aviv before dawn Friday morning.
While the IDF has yet to confirm the point of origin of the drone, Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack Friday.
The Israeli military said that the IDF’s missile defense system had identified the incoming drone, but failed to intercept it due to human error, acknowledging that the direct hit on the apartment building “shouldn’t have happened.”
No warning siren was sounded before the unmanned aircraft hit the building.
The drone attack occurred at 3:12 a.m. when the unmanned aerial vehicle struck an apartment building on Ben Yehuda Street, near the American consulate.
Emergency first responders from Magen David Adom were dispatched to the scene to treat the injured and evacuate them to local hospitals.
One man in his 50s was lifeless when rescue teams arrived and was declared dead at the scene. Ten others were treated for various injuries, including shrapnel wounds and burns.
“Following a search of the area, an unconscious male was found in one of the nearby buildings with penetrating injuries,” Magen David Adom Spokesperson Zaki Heller said Friday morning.
MDA Paramedic Roee Klein, and EMTs Yoel Rosenthal and Asher Greider recalled the scene of the attack.
“We were quickly on scene and witnessed a major disturbance and damage caused by the explosion. We started to search the area and 4 casualties reached us, 2 injured at home – a male, 37, and female, 47, and 2 others who were injured in the street, female 25, and male, 30. They were all fully conscious and suffered shrapnel injuries to shoulders and limbs, and one who suffered blast injuries.”
“We provided initial medical treatment and evacuated them to hospital in mild condition. In further searches, a 50-year-old male was found unconscious with penetrating injuries. We performed a medical assessment, he showed no signs of life, and shortly thereafter was pronounced deceased.”
According to a report by the Riyadh-based Al-Arabiya outlet, Houthi terrorists in Yemen had launched a ballistic missile and four suicide drones towards Israel.
U.S. forces operating in the Red Sea shot down all but one of the incoming drones.