Media365
Tel Aviv:
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday pledged multiple strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels after a missile fired by the Iran-backed group landed near Ben Gurion Airport– the country’s main international airport. Claiming responsibility for the attack, Houthis said they acted in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
In a video posted to his personal X account, Netanyahu said Israel’s retaliation for the Houthi attack will not be a ‘one-and-done’ situation, and there will be multiple hits.
“We are acting against them in coordination with the US. We’ve acted against them before, and we’ll act against them in the future. It’s not a one-and-done, but there will be strikes,” he said.
A ballistic missile fired by Houthis landed just 75 meters from Terminal 3 of Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv. It reportedly bypassed four layers of air defence and hit a grove adjacent to an access road within the airport’s perimeter–one of the country’s most sensitive zones– creating a 25-metre deep crater.
Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said their several attempts to intercept the missile failed before it landed near the airport, sending a plume of smoke into the air. However, a direct hit on terminal infrastructure was averted, yet it caused panic among passengers in the terminal building.
At least eight people were injured in the attack, Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency service, said.
