A blast that occurred in a residential high-rise building in the central Israeli city of Yavne on Monday morning was caused by a drone launched from Yemen, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
“Following initial reports, an unmanned aerial vehicle that apparently crossed [into Israeli territory] from Yemen was detected in the area of the city of Yavne,” the IDF stated. The military is investigating why no sirens were triggered by the attack.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, with Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency medical response group saying paramedics were still carrying out searches in the 15-story building.
The mayor of Yavne, Roei Gabay, told the Ynet outlet that nobody was home when the drone hit the balcony of an apartment on the top floor.
“There is a lot of panic in the area, and we are stopping the curious from reaching the scene,” he said.
On Sunday, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a missile launched from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
The projectile was downed before it crossed into Israeli territory, the IDF said. No air-raid sirens were triggered, as the missile did not pose an immediate threat to populated areas.
In July, a Houthi drone killed a civilian in central Tel Aviv. In response, Israel struck Yemen’s Hodeidah Port in a major aerial attack.
On Sept. 29, the Israeli Air Force carried out dozens of strikes in the area of Hodeidah. Jerusalem said the targets included “power plants and a seaport, which were used by the Houthis to transfer Iranian weapons to the region, in addition to military supplies and oil.”