Drone evades Israel's vaunted air defenses in Tel Aviv strike

Colin Demarest

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An overnight attack on Tel Aviv, Israel, was executed with a souped up Iranian attack drone dubbed Samad-3.

Why it matters: The strike, which killed one person and injured more, highlights the difficulty of air defense, even in a country renowned for its missile interceptions.

Zoom in: The Israel Defense Forces believe the attack was launched from Yemen. Houthi rebels there have for months choked the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with unmanned weaponry, both in the sky and on the water.

• The Samad-3 has a reported range of 1,500 kilometers and carries an explosive payload but isn't notably stealthy or sophisticated, experts told Axios. A Houthi spokesman told Semafor the drone was an upgraded type that could evade interception.
• Footage circulating on social media shows the drone swooping over a beach, toward the skyline and then blowing up.
• Central Command, which oversees U.S. military efforts in the greater Middle East, in 2020 shared images of a Samad-3 in Houthi hands.

What they're saying: "Houthi long-range strike capabilities are simply out of control," said Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. "Whatever deterrence the U.S. believes it is creating in the Red Sea has today been rendered a fiction."