A large, long-range drone hit the center of Tel Aviv in the early hours of Friday, in an attack claimed by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia that killed one man and slightly wounding four others, the Israeli military and emergency services said.
The explosion, which did not trigger air raid alarms, occurred hours after the Israeli military confirmed it had killed a senior commander of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon.
"An initial inquiry indicates that the explosion in Tel Aviv was caused by the falling of an aerial target, and no sirens were activated. The incident is under thorough review," the military said in a statement.
It was not clear how a relatively slow-moving drone evaded extensive Israeli air defenses. In April when Iran fired nearly 350 drones and missiles, 99% were intercepted and no real damage was reported.
Iran’s Tasnim website affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard published the news of the attack, quoting Houthi officials praising the operation, and saying the “one Zionist was killed and eight others injured.” Other Iranian government-controlled media relayed the news insisting that the Houthis were able to inflict “great damage” on Tel Aviv.
The attack on Tel Aviv is likely to fan fears about further fallout from the Gaza war, as the Houthis and other Iranian proxies side with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
It said air patrols had been increased to protect Israeli airspace but said it had not ordered new civil defence measures, however the mayor of Tel Aviv said the city, Israel's economic centre, had been moved to a state of heightened alert.
A spokesman for Yemen's Houthi militants, which like Hezbollah are backed by Iran, said the group had attacked Tel Aviv with a drone and would continue to target Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war.
In a televised speech, spokesperson Yahya Saree called Tel Aviv a primary target "within the range of our weapons".
Israel's emergency services said the body of a 50-year-old man was found in an apartment close to the explosion and said the circumstances were being investigated.
Four people were taken to hospital with slight shrapnel injuries and four others were treated for shock. All of them were later released, the hospital said.
Footage from the site showed an apparent impact on a building located close to U.S. embassy premises in Tel Aviv. Broken glass could be seen strewn across the city pavements as crowds of onlookers gathered nearby. The site was sealed off by police tape.
Israeli media said fragments from a drone of a kind widely used by Iranian-backed militia groups in the region had been recovered nearby.
Israel has been exchanging daily missile and artillery fire with Hezbollah along its northern border and in southern Lebanon since the start of the war in Gaza, prompting fears of a wider regional conflict if the situation escalates.
The Houthis have also stepped-up attacks against Israel and Western targets, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Israel invaded the Gaza Strip following an attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel in October last year.
Reporting by Reuters