According to Israeli officials, an explosion at Ben Yehuda
Street left one person dead and at least ten others injured.
Israeli
military officials have said the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flew at a low
altitude, from Yemen, bypassing air defense systems.
According
to Israeli media, the US military intercepted four unmanned aircraft that were
"on their way to Israel".
An
Israeli military spokesman said, "We're talking about a large UAV that can
fly large distances."
Reports say the blast rumbled through the streets causing
shards of shrapnel to rain down and scattering broken glass across a large
area.
Footage captured on a phone camera clearly shows the Yemeni
drone flying low over Tel Aviv and the moment it strikes its target. The
magnitude of the blast indicates the drone was carrying a high level of
explosives.
A spokesman for the regime's emergency service, Magen David
Adom, said the explosion reverberated to nearby cities.
Ansarullah
has announced that it used the newly developed Yafa drone to strike Tel Aviv in
support of Gaza and has marked the city as a primary target for future
operations.
The
Yemeni armed forces also declared Tel Aviv an "unsafe zone".
The operation has raised serious questions among settlers
and Israeli media about the effectiveness of the Israeli anti-air
systems.
An
Israeli commentator said, "Good morning to the 100% right-wing government.
It is a shame the drone did not hit one of your homes, maybe then you would be
concerned about the citizens instead of yourselves!"
In a statement, the Yemeni forces said the operation was
waged "in support of the Palestinian people and their fighters, and in
response to the Israeli aggression against our brothers in Gaza."
Meanwhile, the Hebrew language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth
cited an eyewitness as saying, "You are in Tel Aviv and think everything
is fine, then you see something coming towards you quickly and exploding. It's
frightening, unnatural, and you have to deal with the situation somehow. We don’t
understand why no sirens were activated."
Later on Friday, Israeli media reported about a second
explosion in Tel Aviv's Yosef Ziman Street. The blast is said to have left
casualties.
The
military correspondent for the Walla Hebrew website highlighted that the
"Israeli Air Force was surprised on October 07. After more than nine
months of intense conflict. Were they surprised again? This issue needs a
thorough investigation. How long have we been sleeping on our toes and for what
scenarios have we prepared?"
Knesset member Gideon Sa'ar said, "What happened early
this morning in Tel Aviv is a serious malfunction, came at a painful
cost".
Amid the trickle of information released by the regime's
military, Israeli media said, "The most alarming aspect of the Tel Aviv
drone explosion is that the army does not know what happened after seven hours,
or it does not want to disclose it."
Other reports pointed out that the blast at a high-security
area has left people in Tel Aviv worried and anxious about the possibility of
future operations and where those drones can potentially land.
Experts believe it is a major blow for the Israeli
government and military, with much wider implications than the damage or loss
of life.
Serving as the Israeli economic hub, Tel Aviv has been
subject to an attack that will alarm investors but more importantly
demonstrates, once again, how vulnerable the Israelis are to a long-range drone
offensive.
The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement has praised Ansarullah
for "a new heroic operation", saying the Palestinians appreciated the
"steadfast" support of Gaza.
“We affirm that what Yemen and the rest of the parties to
the axis of resistance are doing is the most honorable military intervention to
support the oppressed and stop the Zionist injustice."
The group added that the international community
"conspires with the criminal Zionist entity against our people, justifying
its crimes and providing it with international cover to continue the genocide
in the Gaza Strip".
"We call on all resistance forces in our nation to escalate
all kinds of pressure, especially military pressure, against the Zionist enemy,
and also to put pressure on their American supporters until the crimes of
genocide in Gaza are stopped," the group added.
Hamas lauds attack on Israel’s “symbol of pride”
Hamas said in a statement that its members “highly
appreciate and commend” the drone attack on Tel Aviv by Yemen’s Ansarullah,
targeting the depths of the “symbol of pride” of Israel.
The resistance group said such attacks are “a legitimate
right of our nation’s resistance and its people” to confront Israel’s expanding
occupation in the region.
No comments:
Post a Comment