Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari- July 19, 2024

Good afternoon,

Overnight, a UAV which we assess was launched from Yemen, infiltrated from the sea to our west, and hit a building in central Tel Aviv. As a result of the impact, a civilian was killed and eight civilians were lightly injured. We express our condolences to the family and wish the injured a speedy recovery.

During the incident, no alert was activated, and we are still thoroughly examining the incident. After our initial inquiry and based on the findings at the scene and our military systems, it is likely that this was a Samad-3 UAV, which we assess flew from Yemen to Tel Aviv. The Samad-3 is an Iranian weapon that was likely upgraded to extend its flight range. Iran supports, funds, and arms its proxies in the region, in Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, as seen last night. The threat of UAVs is a threat we have faced since the beginning of the war on all our borders. So far, many dozens of UAVs have been launched from Yemen alone, most of which were intercepted or shot down while on their way or before they infiltrated Israeli territory. Most of them were intercepted by an American task force under the command of U.S. CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command), and the rest were intercepted by Israeli Air Force planes or defensive systems.

In parallel to the incident in Tel Aviv, at the same time, we intercepted another UAV that attempted to infiltrate from the east, and we shot it down outside of Israel’s borders. We are examining the connection between the two incidents.

We are conducting an inquiry into the incident and examining why the UAV was not identified as a threat and intercepted before it hit. We will examine the findings - we have already conducted an initial inquiry this morning, and we will examine the findings and update the public.

I want to emphasize - this defense is not hermetic. We are strengthening our air patrols and the protection of our airspace across the entire country. We are examining the incident, improving and optimizing our capabilities, in order to better protect the citizens of Israel.

For questions that arise from the public - there is no change in the Home Front Command directives, there is no change in the Home Front Command directives, and if there is any change, we will immediately update the public.

Overnight and this morning, the Chief of the General Staff conducted several situational assessments. We increased our defensive capabilities in Israel’s skies with planes and additional capabilities in order to improve detection, alert and interception capabilities. The incident on the ground was managed cooperatively, led by the Israel Police, Magen David Adom, and the Israel Fire and Rescue Services, from whom we also received vital details for the inquiry.

In the north, the UAV threat is a daily threat. It is a significant challenge due to the short-range launches, different from what we experienced last night. We are studying the threat in the north as well, in order to deal with it better. We know that this does not alleviate the reality faced by the residents in the north.

Over the past day in the north, we have eliminated six Hezbollah terrorists and struck fifteen targets from the air and from the ground.

We are in a multi-front war. We are operating in all arenas and in the defense of the country's skies every day. These arenas are both near and far, and we are acting against all threats.

Today and in the coming days, we will conduct a situational assessment in order to examine the incident, understand exactly where the threat was launched from, what the necessary defensive responses are, and what the necessary operational responses are against those who threaten the State of Israel.