IDF spokesman R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari on Friday said that in the coming days, the military and the government would meet to decide how to respond both on offense and on defense to what appears to almost certainly have been a drone attack by Yemen on Tel Aviv.
Hagari said that Iran manufactured and guided the Houthis of Yemen in acquiring and using the Samad-3 drone, which was used in the attack.
The IDF spokesman accused Tehran of being behind all of Israel’s security problems on multiple fronts, whether from the Houthis, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, or in the West Bank.
Next, Hagari said that the Samad-3 seems to have attacked Israel from the West and from over the Mediterranean Sea.
With Iranian assistance
In addition, he said that Iran had assisted the Houthis in upgrading the Samad-3’s range, which is listed publicly as around 1,500 kilometers.
Although public information on the Samad-3 does not indicate it has special capabilities for avoiding Israeli radar, Hagari acknowledged that Israel’s air defense detection systems broke down in this case but did not explain the specific reason why.
Hagari thanked the US for handling shooting down most of the dozens of drones that Yemen has launched against Israel during the current war while complimenting Israel’s aircraft and air defense systems for shooting down some additional dozens of threats, mostly to Eilat.
He repeated an IDF statement connecting this drone attack with another drone attack, which tried to come at Israel from the eastern border, though that drone was shot down.
Defense systems to be bolstered
Defense minister Yoav Gallant warned Israel would 'settle the score' with anyone that threatens it, in comments to Hebrew media following a situational assessment in the aftermath of the night's drone attack on Tel Aviv.
Gallant said Israel's security system was working to strengthen its defense systems, and would focus its intelligence operations on those responsible for the attack.
Earlier on Friday morning, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack.