JERUSALEM

The Israeli army said Monday that a drone from Yemen struck an apartment in central Israel amid rising regional tensions over its ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.

A military statement said the drone hit the apartment in Yavne city after air defense systems failed to detect it.

No injuries were reported in the attack, which caused damage to several apartments in the building, Israeli media said.

The army said it is investigating the failure of the air-raid sirens to detect the drone.

There was no immediate confirmation of the attack by Yemen’s Houthi group.

In solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been facing a genocidal war by Israel since October last year, the Houthis have targeted Israeli sites, cargo ships, or those associated with Tel Aviv with missiles and drones, expressing their determination to continue operations until the end of the onslaught on the enclave.

A coalition led by the US has been conducting airstrikes since the beginning of 2024 that it said are targeting Houthi locations in parts of Yemen in response to attacks by the group on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The counterattacks have been occasionally met with retaliation from the group.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara