On May 4, a Houthi missile penetrated—reportedly for the first time—Israeli defenses and crashed at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport. Three people were reportedly wounded and the access road to Terminal 3 suffered damage as a result. All flights were shut down for 30 minutes.
The Houthis took credit for the attack, saying it was carried out “in rejection of (Israel’s) crime of genocide” against Gaza. Their spokesman claimed it was a hypersonic missile. Israel attempted to shoot it down using their air defenses but failed, according to CNN. There was also a THAAD anti-missile system deployed in Israel, but it’s not clear whether it was activated.
Following the attack on Sunday morning, May 4, Defense Minister Israel Katz responded, saying, “Whoever harms us will be struck sevenfold in return.” Prime Minister Netanyahu also vowed retaliation against Yemen. In an interview he said that Israel is planning to strike the Houthis and that “The U.S. is also coordinating with us.” He pledged this will “not be a one-and-done, but there will be hits.”
The strike on Ben Gurion International Airport followed four missile attacks launched by the Houthis on Israel on May 2 and 3, all reportedly intercepted by the IDF. Since March 18, the Times of Israel reported, the Houthis in Yemen have launched some 26 ballistic missiles and several drones at Israel. Only around half of them triggered sirens in the country and were shot down, while the others fell short.
