An explosion near the US Embassy branch office in Tel Aviv that killed at least one person early today is being investigated as a possible drone attack, according to Israeli authorities.
The blast, which occurred in a central district home to a number of diplomatic missions, killed a 50-year-old man and injured at least eight others, Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service said.
Four people sustained shrapnel wounds, it added.
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The blast occurred about 100 metres from the compound of the US Embassy branch office, according to a CNN analysis of open-source satellite imagery of the scene.
The United States is closely monitoring the situation, a government official told CNN, acknowledging that an explosion happened near the branch office.
It does not appear that the building was damaged, another US official said.
The Israel Defense Forces said it is looking into reports that it was an aerial attack, possibly from a drone.
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Police officers and bomb disposal experts are on the scene, according to Israeli police.
Emergency crews responded to an “an object” that had exploded on Shalom Aleichem Street, the MDA said.
“The dead man had suffered penetrating injuries,” MDA paramedic Roi Klein said.
Police urged 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 said.
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