Houthi drone hits central Israeli residential building

YAVNÉ, (Israel): A drone claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels exploded on the top floor of a residential building in the central Israeli city of Yavne on Monday, causing no injuries, the Israeli military and emergency services said.

The Iran-backed Houthis have launched several attacks against Israel during Israel’s war with group Hamas that began more than a year ago in Gaza. The rebels say their attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians.

“Following the initial report, a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that likely originated in Yemen impacted in the area of Yavne,” the military said.

The Houthis later claimed responsiblity for the strike, with a rebels spokesman saying “the drone units targeted a sensitive target of the Israeli enemy in Yavne”.

A spokesperson for Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said reports were received of “an explosion” on a balcony high up in the building in Yavne, and that after a search, no injuries were reported.

Eti Avivi, whose home was damaged while she was at work, said she heard the explosion but thought it was “a sonic boom”.

“I could see the smoke coming out of our balcony on the 16th floor from a distance”, she told AFP. “I just started shaking because I realised that something had happened at home.”

In July, a Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

The Houthis, who control most of Yemen’s population centres, have also frequently targeted ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Britain and the United States have in turn repeatedly struck Houthi targets in what they say is an effort to secure the vital trade route as well as protect US and allied forces in the area.

The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented large-scale attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data. During the attack, group also kidnapped 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who the military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 44,758 people, mostly civilians, according to data from the Hamas-run health ministry that is considered reliable by the UN.