Israeli killed, four hurt as ‘aerial target’ strikes Tel Aviv

An Israeli man was killed and four others were wounded overnight Thursday when what the Israel Defense Forces described as an “aerial target” exploded in a residential neighborhood in central Tel Aviv.

During the search of a building, Magen David Adom emergency medics found the lifeless body of a man in his 50s with “penetrating injuries” and determined he was killed by the blast.

The slain man was later identified as Yevgeny Ferder.

Medics treated a woman in her 20s and a man in his 30s for shrapnel wounds at the scene before evacuating them to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center’s Ichilov Hospital.

Two others were wounded either by shrapnel or the shockwave of the explosion. Four additional people were being treated at hospitals for anxiety.

The explosion occurred just after 3 a.m. in the area of Ben Yehuda Street, a few blocks away from the U.S. diplomatic mission in the heart of the coastal city.

A U.S. official said the embassy branch office was not damaged and no American citizens were hurt.

Footage from the scene appeared to show an armed drone striking a building on the corner of Shalom Aleichem Street.

“An initial inquiry indicates that the explosion in Tel Aviv was caused by the falling of an aerial target,” the IDF stated.

The military subsequently announced that the drone had been detected by air defense systems but was not intercepted due to human error.

No warning sirens were activated in Tel Aviv ahead of the attack.

The Israeli Air Force “increased its air patrols in order to protect Israeli airspace,” added the IDF.

A spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi terrorists claimed responsibility for the “high-quality” attack using an advanced UAV dubbed “Jaffa.”

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari later told reporters that the drone was an Iranian-made Samad-3, which was upgraded to increase its strike range.

On Monday, U.S. Central Command said that the Houthis had attacked an Israeli tanker, carrying vegetable oil from Russia to China in the Red Sea, multiple times in 24 hours.

In March, a cruise missile fired by the Yemeni terrorists hit an open area near the southern resort city of Eilat. The incident marked the first time that a Houthi missile penetrated Israeli territory.

In many similar attacks since Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, IDF air defenses managed to shoot down the projectiles over the Red Sea.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday afternoon was briefed on the latest developments and spoke by phone with top defense officials.

Earlier, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with IDF brass, including Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.

“The State of Israel has been at war on its southern and northern borders as well as additional arenas, for over nine months. The year 2024 is marked by war; we must be prepared for every scenario and every arena,” said Gallant.

The operational assessment was meant to “review the steps required to strengthen our defense arrays in light of events overnight, as well as the intelligence and operational activities required against those responsible for the attack,” he said.

“The defense establishment is working to reinforce all defense mechanisms and will bring to justice anyone who harms the State of Israel,” Gallant said.