Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate against the Houthis after a missile fired by the group struck the grounds of Israel’s main airport.
In a video posted on social media, Netanyahu threatened strikes against the group, saying: “We attacked in the past, we will attack in the future”.
The missile, fired from Yemen by the Iran-backed group, landed near the main terminal of Ben Gurion airport on Sunday morning, according to Israeli authorities.
Four people were injured by the blast, with another two injured on their way to a shelter.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement that the Israeli airport was “no longer safe for air travel”.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said in a statement: “Anyone who hits us, we will hit them seven times stronger”.
The airport has now reopened to flights, after temporarily halting them – though several major airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France and Delta, cancelled Sunday’s flights to and from the airport.
Sirens were activated in several parts of the country as the missile approached – and the Israeli Air Force said it was investigating the failure to intercept it.
Senior Israeli police commander Yair Hetzroni showed journalists a crater caused by the impact of the missile, which airport authorities said had landed beside a road near a Terminal three parking lot.
Netanyahu is set to meet ministers and defence officials on Sunday to discuss a response, according to local media.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group based in Yemen, have regularly launched missile attacks at Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza, but it is rare for one to make it through Israel’s sophisticated air defences.
The group has also been carrying out attacks on ships in the Red Sea, which the US has responded to by leading a bombing campaign against it – which the UK has assisted in.
Editor:Ebuwa Omo-Osagie
