Israeli authorities said investigation begun into a potential drone attack as an explosion near the US Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv, killed at least one early Friday.
The blast occurred in a central district that hosts several diplomatic missions, killing a 50-year-old man and injuring at least eight others, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service.
Four of the injured sustained shrapnel wounds.
The explosion happened roughly 100 meters, 330 feet, from the US Embassy branch office compound, as confirmed by a CNN analysis of open-source satellite imagery.
The United States is keeping a close watch on the situation, a government official confirming that an explosion took place near the branch office.
Another US official noted that the building did not appear to be damaged.
An investigator examines a damaged window of a building at the site of the explosion in Tel Aviv on July 19, 2024.
The Israel Defense Forces are investigating reports that the explosion might have been caused by an aerial attack, possibly involving a drone.
Israeli police have deployed officers and bomb disposal experts to the scene.
Emergency crews responded to an “object” that exploded on Shalom Aleichem Street, MDA stated.
“The dead man had suffered penetrating injuries,” MDA paramedic Roi Klein said.
Police have advised local residents “not to touch any rocket remnants that may contain explosives.”
“Following the incident of an explosion in the Tel Aviv area, large police forces have arrived at the scene and are working to secure the area and conduct searches for suspicious objects and additional threats,” the Israeli Police spokesperson’s unit stated.
