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The Israeli military acknowledged a drone explosion in Tel Aviv early Friday morning, admitting it was a "bad incident that should not have happened." The Air Force has taken full responsibility as the nation's aerial defender.
The preliminary investigation revealed the strike occurred at 3:12 a.m. The drone, which had been flying for several hours, was detected by the military’s detection systems during part of its flight path but was not shot down due to human error.
The IDF is investigating all potential routes of the drone’s arrival and is not ruling out various launch origins, despite the Houthis claiming responsibility for the attack.
Additionally, the IDF intercepted another target approaching Israel from the east overnight. "The drone should have been downed. This was a malfunction. There was an opportunity to shoot it down," the military said in a statement.
The investigation continues as the IDF seeks to understand the full scope of the incident and prevent future occurrences.
(Yoav Zitun)