Yemen’s Houthi group said that they had launched a hypersonic ballistic missile targeting Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, warning international airlines that the Israeli airport is “unsafe for civilian aviation.”
In a televised statement, the group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, stated that the missile successfully struck its intended target, adding that another "vital target" in the coastal city of Ashkelon was also hit.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli authorities suspended all flights at Ben Gurion Airport after a missile launched from Yemen struck near the facility.
Israel’s emergency service, Magen David Adom, reported that “several people sustained minor injuries due to a missile falling near Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport,” without providing further details.
Israeli media said that six international airlines suspended their flights to Tel Aviv following the Houthi attack.
According to Israeli Channel 13, Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Air India, ITA Airways, and Air Europa cancelled scheduled flights to Tel Aviv.
An Air India flight en route to Israel turned back to New Delhi while flying over Jordan, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
Meanwhile, a British Airways flight departing from London was delayed for two hours amid uncertainty over whether it would proceed to Tel Aviv.
Journalists face lethal violence, abuse in detention, and increasing censorship across Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
‘Respond forcefully’
Israeli media also reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to hold a high-level security meeting Sunday afternoon to discuss potential responses to the Houthi attack. "After a missile landed at Ben Gurion Airport, we no longer have any restrictions. Israel will respond forcefully to the Houthis."
Netanyahu also vowed to launch more attacks against the Houthis as well.
"We have the right to respond, and nothing will restrain us,” said the public broadcaster KAN, citing an unnamed security source.
Sunday’s missile strike occurred following multiple air raid sirens in various regions in Israel and several unsuccessful attempts to intercept the projectile, according to the Israeli army.
This marked the third such missile launch in two days following earlier Houthi claims of targeting Ramat David Airbase and the Tel Aviv region.
Also, the Palestinian resistance group Hamas praised a missile attack on Israel's main international airport.
"Yemen... escalates its attacks on the heart of the illegitimate Zionist entity, surpassing the most advanced defence systems in the world and striking its targets with precision," Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Qassam Brigades, said in a statement.
Aid workers describe scenes of children dying from malnutrition, people fighting over water, and mass displacement amid continued bombardment.
