Large explosion rocks Tel Aviv
First responders are on scene in Tel Aviv after a large explosion rocked the city in the middle of the night. The blast happened approximately one block from a U.S. embassy branch office. (Credit: Trey Yingst)
An explosion that rocked Tel Aviv overnight Thursday has left one person dead and several others wounded.
Military officials say they believe the source of the explosion was a deadly drone attack, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels have already claimed responsibility for a drone strike in the area near the U.S. embassy, the Associated Press reported.
The drone was not intercepted despite it being identified prior to the explosion due to human error. Officials say the systems weren’t active at the time of the attack, causing neither the sirens nor the interception to activate.
Large windows are shown shattered after what was believed to be a drone attack on Thursday night. (Trey Yingst)
The drone impacted an apartment in Tel Aviv at approximately 3:12 a.m. after entering the city from the direction of the sea. Officials are unsure if the drone hit the building or exploded mid-air and are still probing the origin of the drone.
LARGE EXPLOSION ROCKS TEL AVIV IN MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
Large windows are shown shattered on the street after what was believed to be a drone attack on Thursday night. (Trey Yingst)
A witness to the attack said it sounded much bigger than a rocket attack, and it was very scary.
“It sounds like a rocket, like rocket but much stronger than rocket,” said Ortal Piron. “So I actually experienced a lot of war in my life, a lot of rocket, but it sounds absolutely different. More bigger and my bed shake, also building actually shake. It was really scary.”
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Glass shards are shown shattered on the street after what was believed to be a drone attack on Thursday night. (Trey Yingst)
The IAF says the deadly incident “shouldn’t have happened,” and it takes full responsibility for the failure that led to the fatal attack. They are also looking into the type of UAV and the explosives it had on it.