Drone attack on Tel Aviv may indicate Houthis can evade Israeli defences: Monitors
Palestinian fighters conducted at least six indirect fire attacks targeting Israeli forces deployed on the Netzarim Corridor south of Gaza City on Friday, while a rocket attack on southern Israel was also carried out from Palestinian territory, war monitors report.
US-based think tanks The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) also report that the Houthi drone that detonated in Israel’s Tel Aviv city on Friday morning was reported to have carried about 10kg (22lbs) of explosives.
According to the ISW/CTP joint report, the drone that evaded Israel’s sophisticated air defences appeared to be a modified variant of the Iranian-model Samad-3 drone.
Yemen’s Houthis have conducted extensive reconnaissance and testing of Israeli air defences in recent months, firing missiles and sending drones regularly towards Israel since the start of the war on Gaza on October 7, the ISW/CTP reported.
“These attacks could have provided the Houthis with information needed to evade Israeli air defences and strike targets in Tel Aviv,” the monitors said.
Vessel sustains minor damage after 2 attacks in Red Sea: UKMTO
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which provides warnings to sailors in the Middle East, says that a vessel has sustained minor damage after it was targeted in two attacks in the Red Sea.
It said in the alert on X that the site of the attack was 64 nautical miles (119km) northwest of al-Makha (Mocha) in Yemen. “Both the vessel and the crew are safe,” the alert said.
UKMTO WARNING INCIDENT 103 ATTACK UPDATE 001
The Master reports two attacks: the first by an Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS); the second by an Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV), Both the vessel and the crew are safehttps://t.co/6mNrG6W5iO#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/p55VoxFt5O
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) July 20, 2024
Israeli forces and Lebanon’s Hezbollah exchange attacks near border
The Israeli military has launched an air strike on the town of Hula in southern Lebanon, claiming it targeted “military buildings” belonging to Lebanon’s Hezbollah armed group.
In a statement on X, the military also said earlier today, its forces successfully intercepted “a suspicious aerial target in the skies of Lebanon”. “The target did not cross into the country and no alerts were activated according to policy,” the brief statement added.
Earlier, Hezbollah announced it targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of Manara in northern Israel with artillery shells, achieving a direct hit.
