A missile fired from Yemen struck an access road on the grounds of Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, as a heavy US bombing campaign has failed to deter Yemen’s Houthis, who are officially known as Ansar Allah.
According to The Times of Israel, the Israeli military tried multiple times to intercept the missile but failed. A US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system that’s deployed to Israel also failed to intercept the Yemeni missile.
The missile left a crater, and six people were injured by the attack, though none of them were seriously hurt. The Houthis have fired a series of missiles and drones at Israel since the Israeli military resumed its genocidal war on Gaza on March 18, but the Sunday attack marked the first time a Yemeni missile made it past Israel’s air defenses.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel would respond to the Houthi attack. “We’ve acted against them in the past, and we’ll act again in the future,” he said. “This isn’t a one-and-done, but there will be some big hits.”
Israel launched a few rounds of airstrikes on Yemen last year but hasn’t done so under the Trump administration. In March, the Israeli news site Ynet reported that the US has asked Israel not to respond to the Houthis’ attacks and said that US forces will handle the retaliation.
Netanyahu also suggested that Israel might attack Iran in response to the Yemeni missile strike. On X, Netanyahu shared a Truth Social post from President Trump dated March 17. In the post, Trump said he would blame each Houthi attack on Iran.
“President Trump is absolutely right!” Netanyahu wrote. “Attacks by the Houthis 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.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also recently threatened Iran over the situation in Yemen, accusing Tehran of providing “lethal” support for the Yemeni group and warning there would be consequences. While the Houthis are aligned with Iran, they make their missiles domestically, which President Trump has acknowledged.
Since March 15, the US has launched over 1,000 strikes on Yemen, killing more than 200 civilians. The Trump administration started the bombing campaign in response to the Houthis announcing they would re-impose their blockade on Israeli shipping after Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza in violation of the ceasefire deal.
The Houthis, who are known for their resilience, have vowed they will not stop their attacks on Israel or end the blockade on Israeli shipping unless there’s a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli siege. They have offered to stop attacking US warships if the US stops bombing Yemen, but the Trump administration has shown no interest in the offer.
