Tensions in the Middle East surged further on Wednesday after Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed to have launched a missile strike on Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, escalating the conflict into a broader regional confrontation.
According to a televised statement on Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV, military spokesperson Yahya Sarea announced that the group had fired two ballistic missiles, including one hypersonic missile, targeting Ben Gurion Airport. Sarea claimed that one of the missiles successfully evaded Israeli air defense systems and struck the airport directly, causing major disruptions to air traffic.
The Houthi spokesperson issued a stark warning to international airlines, urging them to immediately suspend all flights to and from Israel. He stated that the missile attack was in retaliation to recent Israeli airstrikes on Yemeni ports in Hodeidah province, where key infrastructure at three docking stations was reportedly destroyed.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), while confirming that it had conducted airstrikes on Yemeni targets, contested the Houthis’ claims. The IDF reported that one of the missiles was intercepted by the Iron Dome system over central Israel. No confirmation was given about the second missile or any damage at the airport.
Since November 2023, the Houthi movement, which controls a significant portion of northern Yemen, has intensified attacks against Israeli and Western interests in the Red Sea region, aligning their operations with Palestinian resistance against Israeli actions in Gaza.
The latest developments come amid broader concerns over the expansion of the Israel-Hamas conflict, with the international community increasingly worried about the destabilizing potential of such cross-border hostilities.
