Cause still unclear
Heavy explosion shakes Tel Aviv
19.07.2024, 04:01 a.m.
A violent explosion was heard in Tel Aviv early in the morning. The cause is still unclear, but according to Israeli media reports it could have been a drone attack.
There was a serious explosion in a building in the center of the Israeli metropolis of Tel Aviv. Numerous police officers and bomb disposal experts were on site, police said. Eyewitnesses reported a loud bang near a branch of the US embassy. According to media reports, surrounding buildings were damaged.
“Haaretz” quoted a senior police official as saying that it was still unclear what caused the explosion at 3:15 a.m. (local time). “The explosion apparently occurred at a certain height.” The area is currently being cleared. Israeli media are speculating about the possibility of a drone attack. According to the Israeli military, there is no evidence that an enemy aircraft entered Israeli airspace. The possibility of a drone attack is currently being investigated.
Seven people were taken to hospital with minor injuries, reports the Jerusalem Post, citing the Magen David Adom emergency service. Others suffered from shock and were treated on site.
Israel has been at war with the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip for more than nine months and is also regularly engaged in clashes with the Shiite Hezbollah militia in the border area with Lebanon.