The United States reaffirmed its support for Israel, following a drone attack on Tel Aviv that killed one person and injured at least 10 others.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart late Friday to express his condolences for the attack, which damaged buildings not far from the U.S. Embassy.
Austin also voiced Washington’s “ironclad commitment to Israel's security and Israel's right to self-defense,” according to the U.S. readout.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for the predawn attack, saying they used a new type of drone capable of evading Israel’s air defenses.
During a televised news conference, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said an initial investigation indicated the drone was an Iranian Samad-3 that had “apparently undergone an upgrade to extend its range.”
He said the military believes the drone came from Yemen, more than 1,600 kilometers (about 994 miles) away.
Another Israeli military official said the drone that struck Tel Aviv was detected by an Israeli aerial defense system but was not intercepted because of “human error.”
Defense 'not impenetrable'
"I want to emphasize that the defense is not impenetrable,” Hagari told reporters. “We are bolstering our air patrols and the defense of the entire country's airspace. We are investigating the incident, improving and refining our capabilities to better protect Israeli citizens."
Israel said Friday that it was also investigating whether the attack on Tel Aviv was connected to another drone attack. Officials said the second drone, which approached Israel at about the same time, flew in from the east and was shot down near the Israeli border.
The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the Tel Aviv drone attack, which renewed concerns about Houthi capabilities.
The Houthis have said their attacks on Israel, and on other Western targets in the region, are being carried out in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
U.S. officials have dismissed those claims, arguing that the attacks, especially those directed at shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, have hurt humanitarian relief efforts in Yemen and in Sudan, while driving up costs for goods that rely on shipping.
An unclassified U.S. intelligence report earlier this year said the Houthis already had Iranian-made and Iranian-designed weapons, including multiple drones, capable of reaching at least parts of Israel.
And U.S. efforts to blunt Houthi attacks, which have included multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi positions and capabilities, have so far failed to slow the pace of attacks.
“It's going to take more than just a military campaign to take the Houthis off track of what they're doing,” said Joint Chiefs Chairman General CQ Brown.
“We continue to work … with the interagency, work with our allies and partners and the international community to put pressure on the Houthis,” Brown told an audience Friday at the Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colorado.
Still, Brown said he remained cautious about suggestions the U.S. should strike Iran for backing the Houthis’ campaigns against international shipping and Israel.
“What are the secondary impacts of that? I think I have a responsibility to be thinking strategically about the actions we take,” he said. “But I'll also say we are prepared, if need be, to do it.”
Cease-fire deal
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that negotiators were very close to reaching an agreement that would produce a cease-fire in Gaza, “get the hostages home, and put us on a track that would build lasting peace and stability” in the region.
Speaking separately at the Aspen Security Forum, Blinken used an American football analogy, saying negotiators were “inside the 10-yard line” on an agreement, but cautioned that the last 10 yards are often the hardest.
Among critical issues that still need to be resolved, Blinken said, is what happens next.
U.S. officials have said it is unacceptable for any deal to allow Hamas, the U.S.-designated terror group that rules Gaza, to return to power. They have also said it is unacceptable for Israel to prolong its current military operation in Gaza or for a deal to create a power vacuum that could be filled by lawlessness.
Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and captured about 250 hostages in an October 7 attack on Israel that sparked the current war. Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 38,200 Palestinians, according to the territory's health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. In May, Israel estimated the death toll at 30,000, and said that most of the dead were combatants.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, also in Aspen, spoke about a cease-fire deal.
“The real issue is can we work through the politics on both sides, the psychology on both sides, and frankly, the practicalities of executing something as complex as a cease-fire in a circumstance like this,” he asked.
“I believe the answer to those questions is yes, and we are determined to make it yes,” Sullivan said, cautioning, “I have learned the hard way never to use the word optimism in the same sentence as the Middle East.”
Sullivan also expressed hope that some of the obstacles could be overcome during a visit to Washington on Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress later in the week.
VOA’s Jeff Custer contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
