Israel army says intercepted drone approaching from east

The Israeli military said it intercepted a drone approaching from the east on Saturday, hours after a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis hit the central city of Tel Aviv.

In a statement, the military said that after air raid sirens sounded in Gvulot, Talmei Eliyahu and Ein HaBesor, “a UAV that crossed into Israeli territory from the east was intercepted by the IAF (Israeli Air Force).”

It did not specify the origin of the UAV, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle - a drone.

However, similar attacks have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq group, which is pro-Iran, since the war in the Gaza Strip broke out on October 7, 2023.

The latest attack came hours after Yemen’s Houthis, who are also backed by Iran, fired a missile at the Israeli commercial hub of Tel Aviv, injuring 16 people in a pre-dawn strike.

It was the second such attack by the Houthis in days.

Israel’s military said it had failed to intercept the missile, which hit a district of Tel Aviv municipality, forcing many residents to leave their homes in the early hours.

Claiming responsibility for the attack, the Houthis said they used a ballistic missile directed at “a military target of the Israeli enemy.”