On Tuesday, Yemen’s Houthis announced a missile attack on Israel’s Ben Gurion airport following Israeli strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Yemeni forces fired two missiles and claimed that one struck the airport. But according to The Times of Israel, the Israeli military shot down one missile, causing it to break apart into multiple fragments, and the other missile didn’t reach Israeli territory.
Yemeni missile attacks have been a near-daily occurrence in Israel as the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, have vowed the operations won’t stop until there’s a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli siege.
“Let the criminal enemy expect from us more and more support and assistance for our people of truth and loyalty in Gaza, the pride, dignity, sacrifice, and redemption. We will continue to support and stand by thier side until the aggression against them stops and the siege is lifted,” Saree said in a statement on the attack.
The missile attack came hours after Israeli warships launched strikes against Yemeni ports. Israel has conducted multiple rounds of airstrikes on Yemen, but the strikes marked the first time the Israeli Navy was involved in bombing the country.
Recent US and Israeli airstrikes on Yemeni civilian infrastructure and new US sanctions on the Houthis, who govern an area where 70% to 80% of Yemenis live, have exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis in the country.
President Trump announced a ceasefire with the Houthis on May 6, which he framed as a victory, but the US essentially gave up on trying to stop Yemeni attacks on Israel.
The Trump administration began its bombing campaign in Yemen on March 15, and, according to the US military, it conducted over 1,000 strikes. The bombing campaign had a devastating impact on civilians, killing more than 200.
