A missile launched by Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen on Sunday briefly halted flights and commuter visitors at Israel’s principal worldwide airport after an affect left a plume of smoke and triggered panic amongst passengers.
The Houthis, who’re acknowledged by the U.S. as a terrorist group, have been putting Israel all through the struggle in Gaza in solidarity with Palestinians. The assault on Ben-Gurion Worldwide Airport got here hours earlier than high Israeli Cupboard ministers had been set to vote on whether or not to accentuate the nation’s army operations within the Gaza Strip. The military in the meantime started calling up hundreds of reserves in anticipation of a wider operation in Gaza, officers mentioned.
The missile launch Sunday set off air raid sirens in a number of components of Israel. A plume of smoke was seen on the airport, in response to footage shared by Israeli media. Passengers had been heard yelling and scrambling for canopy.
It was not instantly clear whether or not the projectile, which landed in a discipline close to an entry highway resulting in airport parking tons, was the missile or its fragments, or an interceptor from Israel’s air protection programs. It left a deep crater within the floor and a close-by highway was plagued by grime.
Israeli safety forces examine the location the place the Israeli army mentioned a projectile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels landed within the space of Ben Gurion Worldwide Airport close to Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday, Might 4, 2025.
Ohad Zwigenberg / AP
Israel vows to answer the airport assault
Police mentioned that air, highway and rail visitors had been halted following the assault. The visitors resumed after about an hour, Israel Airports Authority mentioned. Israel’s paramedic service Magen David Adom mentioned 4 folks had been evenly wounded.
Houthi army spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree mentioned in a video assertion that the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile on the airport.
Houthi rebels have been firing at Israel because the struggle with Gaza erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 folks, principally civilians, and took one other 251 hostage. Israel says 59 stay in Gaza, though roughly 35 are mentioned to be lifeless. Many of the Houthi missiles have principally been intercepted, though some have penetrated Israel’s missile protection programs, inflicting injury.
Israel has struck again in opposition to the rebels in Yemen and the U.S., Israel’s high ally, additionally launched a marketing campaign of strikes in March in opposition to them.
Israeli Protection Minister Israel Katz vowed retribution for the airport assault: “Whoever harms us, we will harm them sevenfold.”
Israeli ministers will vote on increasing the struggle in Gaza
An Israeli official mentioned the influential safety Cupboard would meet on Sunday night to vote on plans to broaden the preventing. A army official mentioned the nation was calling up hundreds of reserves. Each officers spoke on situation of anonymity in keeping with rules.
Far-right Israeli Nationwide Safety Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, in an interview with Israeli Military Radio, mentioned he needed to see a “powerful” growth of the struggle, however didn’t disclose particulars as to what the brand new plans would entail.
“We need to increase the intensity and continue until we achieve total victory. We must win a total victory,” he mentioned. He demanded that Israel bomb “the food and electricity supplies” in Gaza.
The plans to escalate preventing in Gaza greater than 18 months after the struggle there erupted come as a humanitarian disaster within the territory deepens.
As a part of its efforts to stress the militant group Hamas to barter on Israel’s phrases for a brand new ceasefire, Israel in early March halted the entry of products into Gaza. That has plunged the territory of two.3 million folks into what’s believed to be the worst humanitarian disaster because the struggle started.
An eight-week-long ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that introduced a lull in preventing and freed Israeli hostages collapsed in March. Israel resumed its strikes on Gaza on March 18 and has captured swaths of the coastal enclave. Tons of of Palestinians have been killed because the preventing resumed, in response to the Hamas-run well being ministry.
Preventing in Gaza drags on
Not less than seven Palestinians together with two dad and mom and their two youngsters, ages 2 and 4, had been killed in Israeli airstrikes in southern and central Gaza Strip, Palestinian medics mentioned. Requested concerning the strikes, the Israeli army had no direct remark.
The Israeli army mentioned Sunday that two troopers had been killed in fight in Gaza, bringing the variety of troopers killed since preventing resumed in March to 6.
Because the struggle started, Israel’s offensive has killed greater than 52,000 folks in Gaza, a lot of them girls and youngsters in response to Palestinian well being officers, who don’t distinguish between combatants and civilians of their depend.
The preventing has displaced greater than 90% of Gaza’s inhabitants, usually a number of occasions. Starvation has been widespread and the scarcity of meals has set off looting.
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