Israel vowed to respond harshly after Houthi militants in Yemen fired a missile that air defenses seemingly failed to fully intercept, resulting in a strike near the country’s main airport.
“We will hit back sevenfold at anyone who hurts us,” Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday after the attacks.
Weeks of U.S. airstrikes against the Houthis, an Iran-backed militant group that holds areas in Yemen, have so far failed to halt the group’s attacks on Israel. The Houthis say they’re acting in solidarity with Palestinians, and will continue until the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza ends.
“Several attempts were made to intercept the missile,” the Israel Defense Forces said. “A fall was identified in the area of Ben Gurion Airport. The incident is under review.”
The IDF wasn’t more specific on what fell. A military spokesman for the Houthis said the group had fired a ballistic missile, and warned airlines against flying into Ben Gurion.
Most of the missiles launched by from Yemen at Israel have been successfully intercepted, including one on Saturday and two on Friday.
Flights in and out of Ben Gurion, well as train service to and from the airport and into Jerusalem, were temporarily suspended following the incident.
Medics treated and evacuated eight people to hospitals. Among the injured was a man in his 50s in mild-to-moderate condition; the remainder had mild injuries or were suffering from anxiety, emergency services said.
The Houthis have held Sanaa, Hodeida and other areas since ousting Yemen’s government around a decade ago. They’ve received significant military and technical support from Iran in recent years.
