Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to respond to an attack from Yemen’s Houthi rebels that hit Ben Gurion International Airport, adding that Iran would also face consequences from the strike.
A ballistic missile launched by the Iran-allied Yemeni rebel group hit the perimeter of the airport on Sunday, damaging a road and a vehicle and causing air traffic to stop, according to photos and footage verified by Al Jazeera.
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end of listThe Israeli military confirmed its defence system failed to shoot down the projectile on Sunday morning despite several attempts to intercept it, adding that an investigation was under way. Eight people were injured, according to paramedics.
Israeli media reported that the advanced US-made THAAD system and Israel’s long-range Arrow defence system failed to bring down the missile.
Writing on social media, Netanyahu said that attacks from the Houthis ultimately “emanate from Iran”.
“Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters,” Netanyahu wrote.
The Israeli prime minister has been trying to drum up support for a joint attack with the United States against Iran, despite ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran.
Responding to Israel’s threats, Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said that Tehran would strike back if the US or Israel attacked.
“If this war is intiated by the US or the Zionist regime [Israel], Iran will target their interests, bases and forces – wherever they may be and whenever deemed necessary,” Nasirzadeh told Iranian state television.
Nasirzadeh also said that Yemen’s Houthis made their own decisions when conducting attacks.
The rebel group, which has been carrying out attacks against Israel in stated opposition to its war and blockade on the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for the missile launched at Israel’s busiest airport. More than 18 months of Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 52,495 people, including 57 who starved to death due to the total Israeli siege since March 2, according to Palestinian officials.
In a televised statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree warned airlines that Ben Gurion airport was “no longer safe for air travel”.
The attack led to a brief suspension of flights at the airport in central Israel with some having to be redirected. All entrances to the airport were also briefly closed while train journeys towards the site were halted.
A number of major airlines, including German carrier Lufthansa, Spanish airline Air Europa, Air France, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Air India and Hungary’s Wizz Air announced they were cancelling flights for Sunday, with some cancelling flights on Monday and Tuesday as well.
Sirens blared across central Israel, prompting many to move into shelters, according to Israeli media.
Videos of the site of the impact circulating online showed the missile hit a connecting road inside the perimeter of the airport with some debris scattered on adjacent roads.
Israel promises to hit back hard
Before his social media post, Netanyahu had promised to retaliate against the Houthis and continue the war on Gaza.
In a video message in Hebrew, he said Israel and the US will “act against them again in the future” and do so using more than one blow. He also vowed “there will be no Hamas” in Gaza.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened severe retaliation, too. “Whoever attacks us, we will hit back sevenfold,” Katz said in an apparent reference in the Torah relating to severe punishment, or divine justice.
Benny Gantz, leader of the Israel Resilience party and a former war cabinet member, said the blame for the missile attack by the Iran-aligned group should be put on Tehran.
“It is Iran that is firing ballistic missiles at the state of Israel, and it must bear responsibility,” he said in a social media post without providing evidence. “The shooting at the state of Israel is bound to lead to a severe reaction in Tehran.”
Yair Golan, a leading opposition figure, said millions of Israelis are in shelters again, Israeli captives held in Gaza are dying, the cost of living is crushing families and reservists are “collapsing under the burden” of the war, which was launched after an attack headed by the Palestinian armed group Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, led to the killing of an estimated 1,139 people, with more than 200 taken captive.
“This is big for Netanyahu, this is big for the government,” Golan said about the prime minister. “We must return the kidnapped people home and end the war.”
Houthi attacks are continuing despite near daily bombardment of areas across Yemen by the United States military. Houthi-run media reported many more US air raids on Yemen early on Sunday, as well as after the attack on Ben Gurion airport.
Rescuers stand near bodies at the site of a strike at a detention centre hosting African migrants, in Saada, Yemen April 28, 2025 [Naif Rahma/Reuters]
After the missile hit the airport, Al Masirah TV reported US air raids on the Khab and ash-Shaaf district of al-Jawf governorate.
At dawn, US warplanes launched 10 raids on the al-Hazm district of the al-Jawf governorate and three attacks on the Marib governorate. More attacks hit Saada’s Takhya region as well.
It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties as with some of the other US strikes this week, including one on a migrant detention centre that killed dozens of people.
