1 ISRAELI KILLED IN DRONE ATTACK ON TEL AVIV

ANKARA, July 19 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- At least one Israeli was killed and 10 others were injured in a Houthi drone attack early Friday, Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted the Israeli media reports.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that a bomb-laden drone exploded at the intersection of Shalom Aleichem and Ben Yehuda Streets in Tel Aviv, just hundreds of metres from the American Embassy.

An Israeli army spokesman said that the explosion occurred in the early morning hours due to an aerial attack.

“The attack did not activate the sirens and the incident is under investigation,” he added.

Israeli Channel 13 quoted a preliminary army investigation report indicating that the drone was detected but not intercepted due to “human error,” without providing further details.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels confirmed the drone attack on Tel Aviv. The group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree said their air force carried out the operation, hitting an important target in the Tel Aviv area.

The Houthi group declared the Tel Aviv area an “unsafe area” and warned it would be a primary target for their weapons.

The Houthis have been targetting Israeli-owned, flagged, operated or bound ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones in solidarity with Gaza, which has been under Israeli onslaught since Oct 7 last year.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU