One Dead, Seven Wounded in Tel Aviv by ‘Aerial Target’

One person was killed and seven wounded in the early hours of Friday morning in Tel Aviv, Israel, as the result of what the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called an “aerial target” — possibly a drone — that was undetected by defenses.

It is not clear who launched the object, or what its target was, though the explosion happened near the beachfront office of the U.S. embassy branch, which was formerly the main embassy before President Donald Trump moved it to Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Post reported:

Israeli media reported a loud explosion on Ben Yehuda Street on the corner of Shalom Aleichem near the US Consulate in Tel Aviv early Friday morning.

During searches by emergency services, the body of a lifeless man was found in an apartment near the location of the explosion. Seven people were taken to hospital with minor wounds, according to Israeli media.

…

The Home Front Command stated: “No aerial intrusion into the country’s central area was detected, and therefore no alarm was triggered – the incident is under investigation.”

In a statement, the IDF said:

An initial inquiry indicates that the explosion in Tel Aviv was caused by the falling of an aerial target, and no sirens were activated. The incident is under thorough review. Israeli security forces are currently operating at the scene.
The IAF [Israeli Air Force] increased its air patrols in order to protect Israeli airspace.

The IDF concluded: “There is no change in the defensive guidelines of the Home Front Command.”

This story is developing.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.