Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday (May 04) promised Israel would strike back at both Yemen’s Houthi rebels and their Iranian backers after a missile landed near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, injuring six people.
“Israel will respond to the Huthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters,” Netanyahu wrote on X, reposting a comment by President Donald Trump. “It will not happen in one bang, but there will be many bangs,” he added.
Earlier in March, US President Donald Trump also blamed Iran for Houthi Strikes saying, "Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN."
Defence chief warns of sevenfold retaliation
Defence Minister Israel Katz said, “Anyone who hits us, we will hit them seven times stronger.”
The Israeli military confirmed the missile was fired from Yemen and evaded “several attempts… to intercept” it before creating a large crater by the airport’s Terminal 3 car park. Following Sunday’s strike, airlines including Lufthansa and Air India suspended flights to Tel Aviv until at least 6 May.
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Houthis claim solidarity with Gaza
Houthi spokesperson Yehya Saree said their fighters had “successfully hit” Ben Gurion with a hypersonic missile to show support for Palestinians in Gaza.
Saree added that more attacks would follow, declaring they would continue supporting Palestinians "whatever the consequences" until the war in Gaza comes to an end.
The attack is the fourth Houthi strike on Israel in just three days. Although Israel has intercepted most of the missiles fired by the group since the war in Gaza began, Sunday’s strike caused damage and injuries.
Following the explosion, Ben Gurion Airport temporarily suspended all departures and arrivals. Air India and several other airlines halted flights to and from Tel Aviv. Lufthansa also announced it would not resume flights until at least 6 May.