Drone explosion near U.S. Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv kills 1, injures 7

JERUSALEM — One person was killed and seven others injured in an explosion after a drone attack claimed by the Iran-backed Houthi group on Tel Aviv early Friday that occurred yards from the U.S. Embassy branch office, raising the prospect of an all-out regional war.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that an initial probe indicated that the explosion was caused by a falling “aerial target,” a term used typically to refer to drones. The IDF said it increased air patrols “to protect Israeli airspace.” No siren was activated, and the IDF said the incident was under review.

The military spokesman of the Houthis, a Yemen-based group that has been lobbing drones at southern Israel for months by sea, said on social media early Friday that the group will reveal details about the “operation” that targeted Tel Aviv.

The unprecedented attack took place hours after the Israeli air force killed a top commander of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group in Lebanon with which Israel has been exchanging fire. Israel’s aerial defense system, outfitted for rockets, has for months struggled to identify and eliminate drone attacks in Israel’s north.

In the hours following the explosion, Israeli bomb disposal experts and rescue teams were operating at the site. Police urged residents to avoid approaching the scene and touching “rocket remnants that may contain explosives.”

It was not immediately clear whether the drone was targeting the U.S. Embassy branch office. U.S. Embassy officials in Israel did not respond to request for comment early Friday.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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