The Houthi group in Yemen claimed to have attacked Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv with a “hypersonic ballistic missile” that it launched on Friday.
In a statement broadcast on Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea claimed that the strike disrupted airport aviation traffic and resulted in casualties. “The missile succeeded in reaching its target despite the enemy’s secrecy. The operation resulted in casualties and the suspension of air traffic at the airport,” Sarea alleged.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed to have intercepted the missile, nevertheless. Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency agency reported that 18 people were slightly hurt while traveling to shelters, and the IDF admitted that air traffic was stopped for 30 minutes.
The Houthis also claimed responsibility for other strikes, such as a drone strike on a ship called Santa Ursula near Yemen’s Socotra Island in the Arabian Sea and what they called a “vital” facility in Tel Aviv. Sarea claims that the ship was singled out because of purported ties to Israeli ports.
Israeli airstrikes targeted Sanaa International Airport as World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was getting ready to board a UN airplane. He confirmed that he and his group were unharmed by the strikes.
Earlier this year, Ghebreyesus was in Sanaa for negotiations to secure the release of UN staff who had been held captive by the Houthi organization. He urged the Houthi leadership to promptly free the employees who had been imprisoned.
Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary General, also denounced the escalating violence and urged respect for international law.
The airstrike on Thursday is the fourth time this year that Israel has attacked targets under Houthi control. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Houthis a “terror arm of the Iranian axis of evil” and reiterated his commitment to destroying their military capabilities.
Since November 2023, the Houthis, who rule a large portion of northern Yemen, have increased their attacks against Israel and shipping connected to Israel, claiming that their acts are in solidarity with Palestinians in the midst of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
