Drone Strike On Tel Aviv Raises Prospect Of Retaliation

A drone strike by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on the Israeli city of Tel Aviv on the morning of 19 July raises the prospect of the gov't of PM Benjamin Netanyahu launching retaliatory, and potentially escalatory, attacks. One man was killed in the attack, in which the Iranian-designed Samad-3 drone was not shot down and did not trigger air raid sirens due to what the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) attributed to 'human error'.

• A spox for the Houthis claimed that Tel Aviv would be their primary target “within the range of our weapons.”
• In the wake of the attack, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that “The defense establishment is working to immediately strengthen all defense systems, and will settle the score with anyone who harms the State of Israel or directs terror against it,”
• The attack adds to the general situation of heightened tensions in the Middle East, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza as well as the increased activity on the Israel-Lebanon border involving Hezbollah and the IDF.
• The Houthiscontinue to harrass shipping in and around the Red Sea, and the Tel Aviv attack could see attempts at direct retaliation by the IDF. This in turn would raise concerns in Saudi Arabia (between Yemen and Israel) of being dragged into any conflict.