Left image: 2 million people in Yemen took to the streets Friday after Tel Aviv bombed. (Source.) Top right image: new Samad-4 strike drone. (Source.) Bottom right image: Khatif-1 (left) and Khatif-2 (right) drones on parade in Sanaa, Yemen. (Source.)

by Brian Shilhavy
Editor, Health Impact News

In an event barely mentioned in the U.S. media yesterday (Friday, July 19, 2024), Yemen’s Houthi militants launched a new class of drones into the heart of Tel Aviv, considered the capital city of Israel by most of the world (97 embassies are in Tel Aviv compared to only 6 embassies in Jerusalem,) and is the country’s economic and technological center. (Source.)

The drone attack appeared to be targeting the U.S. Consulate in Tel Aviv, exploding very near it, and allegedly went undetected by American Israeli defense systems, being the first attack of its kind.

This was truly an historical never-before-seen attack directly on Israel’s second most populous city, indicating that the Houthis are stepping up their attacks and not just simply targeting ships in the Red Sea anymore.

Yemeni armed forces announced an operation against Tel Aviv as a powerful explosion hit an area near a US consular facility amid the failure of Israeli air defenses to intercept the drone.

The blast occurred in the city’s Ben Yehuda Street on Friday, Israeli media outlets reported.

Meanwhile, Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that the country had launched an operation against Tel Aviv on Friday morning.

He said that further details of the operation would be announced soon.

The Israeli military has said it is opening an investigation to find out why the country’s air defense systems were not activated to intercept the drone.

Other Israeli officials were quoted as saying that an “attack drone” had entered the occupied territories’ airspace from the direction of the Mediterranean Sea.

The aircraft exploded in a building lying less than 100 meters away from a US consular facility in the city, they added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly delayed his trip to Washington following the explosion. (Source.)

A drone attack was carried out on Ben Yehuda Street on the corner of Shalom Aleichem near the US Consulate after loud explosions were heard in Tel Aviv early Friday morning. Yemen’s Houthis subsequently claimed responsibility for the attack.

During searches by emergency services, the body of a lifeless man, later named as Yevgeny Perder, 50, with shrapnel marks on his body was found in an apartment near the location of the explosion. Ten people were taken to hospital with minor wounds, according to Israeli media.

An IDF spokesperson announced that a preliminary investigation shows that the explosion in Tel Aviv “was caused by the fall of an aerial target, which did not trigger a warning.” (Source.)

Here is some footage of the drone attack in downtown Tel Aviv, the most modern city in Israel. It would be like bombing New York City or Los Angeles in the U.S.

Sputnik, an English language publication in Russia, gave more information about this new class of drone that was used and went undetected.

Houthis’ Long Arm: What We Know About Militia’s Drone Fleet

Yemen’s Houthi militia kicked off a guerilla campaign of ship seizures, missile and drone attacks targeting ‘Israeli-linked’ merchant ships and the Israeli Red Sea port of Eilat in November 2023, vowing to continue their operations until Israel halts its operations in Gaza. The asymmetric conflict has seen several rounds of escalation.

The Houthis dramatically escalated their operations against Israel early Friday morning, flying a large, explosive-laden drone into downtown Tel Aviv and slamming it into a building 100 m from the US Consulate. Here’s what we know about the Yemeni militia’s drone potential:

The Houthis say Friday’s attack was carried out by the Yafa, a mysterious new ultra long-range airplane-style drone with radar-evading capabilities.

The Israeli military believes the drone used in Friday morning’s attack was an upgraded Samad-3 – a Houthi UAV that’s 2.8 m long, has a 4.5 m wingspan, a 1,500-1,800 km range and a 250 km/h top speed. However, given that the distance between Houthi-controlled areas of northern Yemen and Tel Aviv exceeds 2,000 km, the UAV used in the attack on Tel Aviv is likely either an upgrade to the Samad-series drone, or another model.

The Samad series consists of a whole lineup of spy and strike drones, including the Samad-1 – a surveillance UAV with a 3.5 m wingspan and 500 km range, and the Samad-4, a 3 m long strike drone with a 5 m wingspan, a 2,000 km+ range, and a 50 kg payload, which may include twin unguided bombs on hard points under its wings.

The Houthis also operate Qasef-1 and Qasef-2K kamikaze drones – simpler, low-cost, low-operational range UAVs believed to have taken design cues from the HESA Ababil and featuring a 30 kg warhead. Qasef series drones have a range of 150-200 km, a two hour flight endurance, and a three km flight ceiling. These drones have been used extensively by the militia to target US and British warships in the Red Sea in recent months.

They’re complemented in the strike drone category by the Wa’aed, another Houthi loitering munition with looks outwardly similar to Iran’s Shahed 136 (the latter is 3.5 m long, 2.5 m wingspan, 200 kg mass, 50 kg warhead and top speed up to 185 km/h).

The Houthis insist that their equipment is homegrown, and Iranian officials have also repeatedly emphasized that the Yemeni militia does not receive weapons from the Islamic Republic. That said, Iranian media have not denied the transfer of weapons technology to the Houthis, leaving it to the militia to build the armaments using domestic capabilities. (Source.)

This attack in Tel Aviv came on the same day that the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal under international law.

Unlike the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is also in the Hague, and has already issued an arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, the ICJ does have jurisdiction over the United States (while the ICC does not).

And while the ICJ declaration on Friday is non-binding, it does set precedent for international law.

ICJ ruling on Israeli occupation has historic implications

The International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion on Friday declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal under international law will have broad historic implications, observers feel.

The key ruling, while not legally binding, sends a clear message to Israel’s allies that supporting the settlement policy and ongoing violence in the occupied territories is no longer feasible, according to experts who spoke to TRT World for this story.

Dr Luigi Daniele, noted academic, specialising in Law of Armed Conflicts and International, European, and Comparative Law at Nottingham Law School, views the ICJ’s opinion as transformative for both — international law and the law of occupation.

Speaking to TRT World from the UK, Danielle emphasised the decision’s broader impact.

“This is an advisory opinion (by the ICJ) that has historic implications for the war against Palestine but also in general for international law and the conceptions of the law of occupation.

“It is a victory for Palestinian international lawyers and for many of us who have been denouncing what the court has acknowledged today for at least a decade, which is that the Israeli military and settlers’ presence in the occupied Palestinian territory has zero valid titles under international law and is, on the contrary, a violation thereof.” (Source.)

Netanyahu’s Visit to Washington D.C. This Week – Potential Chaos Ahead?

Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson.

While I have seen some reports that this attack on Tel Aviv yesterday might delay Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington D.C., news from D.C. seems to indicate that the trip is still on for this coming week.

This begs the question: Will anyone try to arrest Netanyahu on the outstanding warrant for his arrest at the International Criminal Court?

Protests are being planned in D.C., and Mike Johnson, the current Zionist leader of the House of Representatives, has threatened to arrest other lawmakers who do not support Israel.

Speaker Johnson Threatens To Arrest Lawmakers Who Disrupt Netanyahu’s Congress Speech

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address Congress at the invitation of Republicans on July 24. Several Democratic lawmakers have announced their intent to boycott the speech, citing what they say are ongoing human rights abuses and war crimes by the Israeli military (IDF) in Gaza.

Additionally, this week 230 anonymous staff members have signed a letter urging a Congressional protest or boycott. According to The Hill, this includes staff from Republican congressional offices as well… “across 122 Democratic and Republican offices,” it says. The letter was organized by the Congressional Progressive Staff Association.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has put the body on notice, threatening to arrest anyone who is protesting or displaying unruly behavior.

“There are a number of Democrats in the House who have said they’re going to boycott that event. Some others may protest,” Johnsons told an audience of the Republican Jewish Coalition on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee earlier this week.

“We’re going to have extra sergeants at arms on the floor. If anybody gets out of hand… We’re going to arrest people if we have to do it,” he added.

As for the Congressional Progressive Staff Association’s letter, it reads as follows:

“Citizens, students, and lawmakers across the country and the world have spoken out against the actions of Mr. Netanyahu in his War on Gaza,” the letter says.

“Israelis have been protesting in the streets for months, decrying his failure to negotiate a ceasefire and release of hostages. We hope you will join your fellow Members of Congress in protest at his speech or in refusing to attend it.”

There are some 100 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the House and Senate, and the majority or even all of them are expected to boycott or possibly protest the speech. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, have called on Congressional security officers to refuse Johnson’s directive.

In the wake of Johnson’s crackdown threat, some pundits have highlighted that he’s a big recipient of funds from America’s foremost Israeli lobby… (Source.)

Are the Houthis of Yemen a Proxy force of the New BRICS Alliance?

The Houthis have become such a strong force to be reckoned with, that we need to consider the idea that it is not just Iran who is backing them.

Iran is part of the BRICS alliance, which is quickly forming new military and economic alliances among the non-Western world. Given how powerful the Houthis have become to disrupt global economic commercial sea freight by controlling the Red Sea for so long, it is highly likely that other BRICS nations besides Iran are involved, such as Russia and China.

You will get vastly different views of the Houthis depending on which news sources you read.

For example, last month I reported that the USS aircraft carrier Eisenhower, which had been deployed in the Red Sea to fight the Houthis, was ordered back to the U.S. after the Houthis had sunk several ships in the Red Sea, and even claimed to have made a strike on the USS Eisenhower causing them to leave the Red Sea and head back to the U.S.

Whatever the real reason was for the USS Eisenhower to head back to the U.S., we can conclusively state that their deployment with other U.S. ships and also with the UK Navy, did nothing to stop the Houthis attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

And yet, the crew of the USS Eisenhower received a hero welcome when they returned to Norfolk.

Back From Historic Red Sea Mission, USS Eisenhower Gets Hero’s Welcome

The carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, her crew and her escorts have returned to Norfolk after what may be the U.S. Navy’s most extended, concentrated battle at sea since the Second World War.

Navy aviators may have flown more combat missions over Korea, Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan, but the mission in the Red Sea is the first time in eight decades that the surface navy’s ships and crews have faced daily attacks on their own vessels. Eisenhower and her crew received a hero’s welcome when they pulled into Norfolk on Sunday, complete with a flyover and a welcoming committee on the pier.

“For nearly seven months, the Ike Carrier Strike Group delivered exceptional naval power, answering the call . . . to defend innocent civilian merchant mariners,” said Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro in a welcoming address.

“Service to our country is fundamental to our democracy. Every Sailor and Marine who sailed as part the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group chose to serve. By defending our ally Israel as well as innocent civilian merchant mariners against Iranian and Houthi attacks, they made an incredible impact that will forever be a part of our naval services’ legacy.” (Source.)

When the USS Eisenhower headed back to the U.S., it was announced that the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier would replace it, even though it had just reached South Korea the day before.

The Yemen Houthis vowed to attack the USS Roosevelt too, when it came to the Red Sea. This was published on July 2, 2024:

Yemeni Houthis Vow USS Theodore Roosevelt ‘Primary Target’ Once it Enters Red Sea

The USS Theodore Roosevelt is set to take over duties in the region after Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) targeted the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea with missiles and UAVs in response to earlier bombings, leading the supercarrier to exit after an eight-month posting.

Yemen’s Houthi militia has released a video promising to sink the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt once it arrives in Red Sea waters.

The aircraft carrier is a “primary target for the Missile Forces of the Yemeni Army from now on, and will be subject to targeting upon its entry into the Red Sea,” Ansar Allah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi stated in the video.

“If they want to take the risk, get themselves into trouble, and put themselves into the same predicament that Eisenhower was, let them come,” al-Houthi warned. (Full article.)

Well, the USS Theodore Roosevelt arrived in the Red Sea this week, and this was published Thursday, July 18th, by The National Interest:

The Houthis Freaked: Navy Aircraft Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt Is Sailing In Their Backyard

The USS Theodore Roosevelt (TR), a Nimitz-class supercarrier, has relieved the USS Eisenhower in the Red Sea as part of Carrier Strike Group 9 (CSG 9), accompanied by Carrier Air Wing 11 (CAW 11).

This deployment is part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, aimed at countering Houthi attacks on shipping.

The Roosevelt, along with its escort ships and aircraft, represents a formidable force capable of defending against various threats.

On July 12, the USS Teddy Roosevelt strike group with its embarked air wing relieved USS Eisenhower as the carrier on station in the region to confront Houthi attacks on shipping.

The Roosevelt is a Nimitz-class supercarrier, one of the largest warships ever built. Commissioned in 1984, she is the fourth ship in her class and has seen service in multiple conflicts around the world.

This class of ship is the first nuclear-powered carrier produced in large numbers. Her two reactors power four propellers that give her a top speed over 30 knots. This allows her to launch and recover aircraft even in completely calm winds. The power produced by the reactors is also used in the steam catapult launch system, which can fling an 80,000-lb aircraft off the end of the flight deck at 140 knots. (Source.)

Well apparently the Houthis were not impressed, because the day after this was published, yesterday, they launched a new drone from the Red Sea that made an historical hit in the center of Tel Aviv, while this new class of drone went undetected, something that has never been done before.

No wonder this story was buried in the news yesterday below the political news and news of a Microsoft software glitch that crippled systems all over the world.

Will Netanyahu visit Congress this week? And if he does, will we see more chaos in Washington D.C.?

UPDATE 7/21/24

Israel strikes back.

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