Six people were wounded after a missile fired from Yemen struck Israel’s main international airport early on Sunday morning, marking a rare direct hit and raising tensions in the region.
Dramatic images showed a smoking crater next to a road near Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport, with smoke clearly visible from passenger areas.
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that their air defence systems made “several attempts” to intercept the projectile, described by Yemeni Houthi rebels as a hypersonic ballistic missile, but were unsuccessful.
SCARY FOOTAGE 🔴
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An international flight crew captured footage of the Houthi missile strike on Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel pic.twitter.com/ohqAkko7Ef
Passengers at the airport heard sirens before running to safe rooms for shelter. Emergency services reported treating a man in his 50s and two women, aged 54 and 38, all suffering mild blast-related injuries. In total, eight people required medical attention and were evacuated to Shamir-Assaf Harofeh and Sheba-Tel Hashomer hospitals, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service.
In response to the attack, Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, warned of severe retaliation, stating: “Anyone who hits us, we will hit them seven times stronger.”
A senior figure in Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia, Muhammad al-Bahithi, claimed responsibility, describing the missile strike as “proof of our ability to strike fortified sites in Israel.”
Air traffic was briefly halted following the attack, causing disruption including the diversion of an Air India flight from New Delhi, which rerouted near Jordan's capital, Amman. Operations at Ben Gurion resumed shortly afterwards.
This missile strike is part of escalating attacks from Yemen, with the Houthis firing ballistic missiles toward Israel daily since Friday. However, the IDF has yet to launch retaliatory strikes.
Tensions between Israel and Iran remain high, intensified by ongoing calls from Israeli hardliners advocating airstrikes against Tehran. The Houthis, supported by Iran, have repeatedly targeted Israeli territory since the conflict in Gaza erupted last October.
In December 2024, another missile launched by the Houthis evaded air defences and struck a playground in southern Tel Aviv, injuring 16 people. That missile, named “Palestine II,” closely resembles Iran’s hypersonic Fattah missile, according to Emily Milliken, associate director at the Atlantic Council’s N7 Initiative.
Analysts at Tel Aviv's Institute for National Security Studies say the Houthis possess several Iranian-made missiles, including the Shehab-3 ballistic missile and the Sumar cruise missile, each with a range of approximately 2,000 km.
In response to Houthi provocations, Israel previously conducted military strikes in Yemen targeting ports and energy infrastructure in the capital Sana'a, most recently in December.
Separately, the IDF is set to call up thousands of reserve soldiers, a move signalling an expansion of military operations in Gaza. Many reservists are expected to replace active-duty soldiers currently stationed along the West Bank and the Lebanese border, allowing them to redeploy to Gaza.
