An investigator examines what, according to a police spokesperson, seems to be part of an aerial device, at the site of an explosion, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The Israeli military is checking whether an explosion in central Tel Aviv in the early hours of July 19 was caused by a drone attack, the army said.

Police said the body of a man was found in an apartment close to the explosion and said the circumstances were being investigated.

“Earlier tonight [Friday], an explosion sounded in the area of central Tel Aviv. We are looking into the reports that it was an aerial target. The incident is under review,” the military said in a brief statement.

No aerial sirens were reported prior to the blast, which occurred hours after the Israeli military confirmed it had killed a senior commander of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon.

Footage from the site showed broken glass strewn across the city pavements as crowds of onlookers gathered around the site near a building bearing blast marks that was sealed off by police tape.