The drone that struck near a US embassy branch office in Tel Aviv early Friday morning was on Israel air defense’s radar but wasn’t shot down, possibly due to human error, officials said.
The large long-range attack drone was not engaged by Israel’s air defenses, and no warning sirens were activated when it came crashing down around 3:12 a.m. local time Friday, the Israeli Air Force said, according to the Times of Israel.
According to the initial IAF investigation, the drone was tracked at some point on its journey, but it was not shot down due to human error.
A 50-year-old man was killed and four others were wounded when the drone hit an apartment after entering the city from over the Mediterranean Sea.
The source of the drone is still being investigated, but the IAF believes it likely came from the south – possibly from Yemen.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have taken responsibility for the attack, though the IAF has not verified their involvement.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the strike was carried out using a new drone called “Yafa”, which he said was capable of bypassing interception systems and undetectable by radars.
“The operation has achieved its goals successfully,” Saree said in a televised speech.
The deadly incident “shouldn’t have happened,” the IAF said, adding that it took full responsibility for the failure to intercept the drone.
Also overnight, a drone heading toward Israel from the east was shot down by fighter jets outside Israeli airspace.
With Post wires
