Yemen’s Houthis say they targeted Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport

SANAA, Yemen / ISTANBUL

Yemen’s Houthi group said Tuesday that it launched a hypersonic ballistic missile at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.

In a prerecorded statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced the group had “successfully struck Lod Airport (Ben Gurion) in the occupied Jaffa area” with a “Palestine 2” hypersonic ballistic missile, adding that the attack caused mass panic and flight disruptions.

The Israeli military, however, stated that it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen earlier Tuesday evening after air raid sirens were activated across the Tel Aviv metropolitan area and Jerusalem, forcing millions into shelters.

No casualties or damage were reported.

The Houthis have intensified missile and drone strikes on Israel since Israeli forces resumed attacks on the Gaza Strip in March after two months of a shaky ceasefire.

Since November 2023, the group has also targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 60,000 victims have been killed in an Israeli onslaught.