Houthi drone was detected about seven minutes before impact: How did it get that far?

A large explosion was heard early Friday morning on Ben Yehuda Street in Tel Aviv as a result of a drone attack, killing one person and injuring about ten.

 Israeli security forces at the scene of a drone explosion in Tel Aviv on July 19, 2024. (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)
Israeli security forces at the scene of a drone explosion in Tel Aviv on July 19, 2024.
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)

The IDF has continued to investigate the unusual event that occurred early Friday morning when a UAV launched by the Houthis in Yemen crossed into Israeli territory, crashed in Tel Aviv, and caused the death of Yevgeny Perder.

The IDF is still investigating why it was not marked as a hostile target and, accordingly, not intercepted by the Air Force, even though it was detected by radar about seven minutes before the fatal impact.

The Air Force is still trying to reconstruct the supposed flight path of the drone, and according to initial estimates, it was launched from Yemen and flew over two thousand kilometers through Egypt to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, most likely in the Al-Arish area.

From there, the UAV continued north until it crashed in a residential area on Ben Yehuda Street in Tel Aviv.

Since the beginning of the war, air defense systems and air force planes have thwarted thousands of missile launches from all combat fronts.

 Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen July 5, 2024.  (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)
Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen July 5, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

According to IDF data, 200 drones and cruise missiles were launched just from Yemen that were on their way to hit targets in Israel. Except for the drone that hit tonight, all the launches were intercepted.

Large explosion rocks Tel Aviv

A large explosion was heard early Friday morning on Ben Yehuda Street in Tel Aviv as a result of a drone attack, killing one person and injuring about ten. The deceased was found near the scene of the crash. He was sleeping in a room on the roof of a building when he was hit by shrapnel.

Police officers, ZAKA volunteers, and Tel Aviv Municipality employees arrived and treated the wounded.

The Tel Aviv Mayor, Ron Huldai, tweeted this morning: "The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality is moving to an increased state of alert in light of the severe drone incident tonight, in which one person was killed and others were injured."

"The war is still ongoing, and it is hard and painful. The municipal forces arrived at the spot quickly and dealt with the incident, and we are prepared for any developments. I call on the public to obey the instructions."


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Meanwhile, the US military intercepted several drones on the ground before they were launched. The launch options are from Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. In terms of past capabilities, it is possible that the launch was also carried out from Lebanon, but Hezbollah and Medina have not yet fired in the direction of the center.

According to the Al-Arabiya channel, the United States intercepted a ballistic missile and three rockets launched by the Houthis at Israel during the night, but the fourth managed to hit Tel Aviv.