Israel Vows Retaliation for Yemeni Drone Strike on Tel Aviv

Israel has threatened retaliation after a drone, claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, breached its air defenses and killed a civilian in a Tel Aviv apartment building near a U.S. embassy annex.

The attack prompted U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to condemn the violence and call for “maximum restraint” to prevent further regional escalation.

This pre-dawn strike coincided with a ruling from the U.N.’s top court declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories “illegal” and calling for its end. Although the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion is non-binding, it adds to the international criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas’s office praised the court’s decision as a “victory for justice,” while Hamas urged the international community to take immediate action to end the occupation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, maintained that “the Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land.”

The Houthis, supported by Iran, have claimed several drone and missile attacks on Israel in response to the Gaza conflict. Although the group has targeted cities like Ashdod, Haifa, and Eilat, this attack marks the first significant breach of Israel’s advanced air defense systems.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed they used a new drone, the ‘Yafa’, capable of evading interception systems. An Israeli military official confirmed that a large drone capable of long-distance travel was used in the 3:12 am attack, but due to “human error,” the alarm was not raised in time. The drone struck an apartment building, resulting in one civilian death and four minor injuries.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed that Israel would seek retribution, stating that Israel’s security forces would decisively and unexpectedly retaliate against those who threaten the state.

Security footage showed the drone’s approach and subsequent explosion, which occurred about 100 meters from a U.S. embassy annex. The blast caused significant damage and alarm among nearby residents.

The Houthis have also targeted shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, claiming these vessels are linked to Israel. The U.S. and Britain launched airstrikes in January to deter such attacks.

The ongoing Gaza war, which began with Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel resulting in 1,195 deaths, has seen Israel’s counterattacks kill at least 38,848 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The conflict continues to devastate Gaza, displacing nearly the entire population and causing severe shortages of food and water.

Health authorities recently detected poliovirus in Gaza’s sewage, but the World Health Organization confirmed on Friday that no cases of the disease have been found in the population so far.