SANAA, Oct 29, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they carried out a drone attack on southern Israel on Tuesday, confirming an earlier report by the Israeli military.

"The UAV (drone) force of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a specific military operation targeting the industrial zone of the Israeli enemy in the Ashkelon region," a Huthi military statement said.

Israel's military said the drone "fell in an open area" of Ashkelon, just north of the Gaza Strip where the Israel-Hamas war has been raging for more than a year.

The Huthis claimed the attack "was carried out with a number of drones that have successfully achieved their objectives".

The rebels, part of Iran's "axis of resistance" against Israel and the United States, have periodically fired drones and missiles at Israel during the Gaza war.

After a Huthi drone killed a civilian in Tel Aviv in July, Israel hit back with a large-scale attack on Yemen's Hodeida port, a lifeline for the impoverished country.

Israeli air strikes also killed four people in Yemen last month, according to Huthi media, after the rebels said they fired a missile at Tel Aviv's international airport.

The Huthis have also waged a harassment campaign against shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the Gaza war, severely disrupting the vital trade route.