Houthis take credit for drone attack, claim new UAV bypassed Israeli security

In the statement, the Houthis claimed to have a new drone which they have named "Jaffa", which they say is "capable of bypassing interception systems and radars cannot detect it."

 An investigator inspects a damaged window of a building at the site of the Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv, July 2024 (photo credit: REUTERS/RICARDO MORAES)
An investigator inspects a damaged window of a building at the site of the Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv, July 2024
(photo credit: REUTERS/RICARDO MORAES)

Yemen's Houthis have taken credit for a drone attack on Tel Aviv on Thursday night, referring to it as a "military operation on the occupied Jaffa area known as 'Tel Aviv'" in a statement from their spokesperson on Friday morning.

In the statement, the Houthis claimed to have a new drone called "Jaffa," which they say is "capable of bypassing interception systems and radars cannot detect it."

The drone attack last night did not set off alarms or sirens. Some residents reported hearing explosions; however, no alarm was activated.

The Houthis also claimed the attack as a "victory for the oppressed Palestinian people and their fighters, and in response to the massacres of the Israeli aggression against our brothers in Gaza."

 Police and ZAKA Tel Aviv volunteers outside of Tel Aviv hotel attacked by a Houthi UAV (credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT, Zaka Tel Aviv)
Police and ZAKA Tel Aviv volunteers outside of Tel Aviv hotel attacked by a Houthi UAV (credit: POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT, Zaka Tel Aviv)

'For Gaza'

The Houthis announced “occupied Jaffa,”  a nonsafe zone that will be targeted by them on an ongoing basis. They also claimed to have a “bank of targets” of sensitive military and security-related targets across occupied Palestine.

The Yemeni terror organization continued by saying that its operations would not stop until the "aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted."

Soon after the attack, a leader of Yemen's Houthis, Hezam al-Asad, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "Tel Aviv" with a burning emoji. No official statement has been made by Israel regarding this connection.

According to the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya/al-Hadath channel, the United States intercepted a ballistic missile and three drones launched by the Houthis at Israel on Friday night, but the fourth managed to hit Tel Aviv.