Israel’s main airport was struck by a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Sunday morning. The missile hit a grove near an access road inside the perimeter of Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. Media reports suggest that at least six people were wounded.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that it failed to intercept the missile despite several attempts.
“An impact was identified in the area of Ben Gurion Airport,” the IDF said in a post on Telegram. The Israeli Air Force is investigating the failure.
The Houthis, who control western Yemen, including the capital and the port of Hodeidah, have launched a number of drones and missiles at commercial vessels passing through the Red Sea and at targets in Israel over the past year, aiming to pressure West Jerusalem over its military operation in Gaza. Israel launched the campaign following a deadly raid by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in October 2023. The Houthis said they would stop the attacks if Israel halts its operation in Gaza.
Israel has not launched strikes against Yemen in response to the Houthi attacks. The US, however, began air and naval strikes against Houthi targets in March, citing threats to Red Sea shipping. Last week, US President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to intensify strikes in Yemen and warned that the Houthis would be “completely annihilated” if they continued their attacks. The UK has also taken part in the strikes, with the Defense Ministry saying it targeted a Houthi-controlled facility.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused Iran of arming the Houthis and warned there would be consequences. Tehran denied the claims. The US, however, announced sweeping sanctions on countries buying Iranian oil or petrochemicals on Thursday, citing Tehran’s alleged role in fueling conflict in the Middle East, among other things.
Russia has urged Washington to halt its strikes on Yemen. In a phone call in March with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for an immediate end to the use of force and urged all sides to engage in political dialogue.
05 May 2025
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Tehran has denied that it was directing the Houthi attacks. “The Yemenis’ actions in support of the Palestinian people were their independent decision,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said. “Attributing it to the Islamic Republic of Iran is misleading.”
The Houthis have announced their intention to impose “a comprehensive air blockade” on Israel by “repeatedly targeting its airports, most notably… Ben Gurion Airport.”
The military group has urged international airlines to cancel all scheduled flights to Israel “to preserve the safety of their aircraft and their agents,” according to its spokesperson, Yahya Saree.
Iran recently successfully test-fired a ballistic missile called Qassem Basir, which boasts a reported range of 1,200km (746 miles) and improved maneuverability, the country’s defense minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, has announced on state TV.
Footage purportedly depicting the launch, which was said to have taken place last month, has been released in the local media.
Nasirzadeh also warned the US that “if we are attacked or a war is imposed on us, we will respond with might,” by striking American “interests and their bases.”
The announcement came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the Houthis “acted under the orders and with the support of their patron — Iran” in firing a missile at Ben Gurion Airport.
Iran has repeatedly denied the accusations by Israel and the US that it supports the Houthis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Iran for the Houthi strike and vowed a response.
Writing on X, he shared Donald Trump’s post from March in which the US president also made accusations against Tehran.
“President Trump is absolutely right!” Netanyahu said. “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.”
Iran has repeatedly denied the claims that it aids the Houthis.
In response to widespread flight cancelations by foreign airlines following the Houthi missile strike, Israeli carrier El Al has announced it is offering special one-way fares to help Israeli travelers stranded in Cyprus and Greece get home.
Flights from Larnaca are available for up to $99, and from Athens for up to $149, the company said on social media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to take action against the Houthis following the Ben Gurion Airport attack.
“We operated against them in the past and we will operate in the future,” he said in a video address posted on X.
“It’s not ‘bang – that’s it,’ but there will be bangs,” he added, without elaborating.
The IDF has confirmed that the missile that struck the grounds of Ben Gurion Airport was fired from Yemen. The missile traveled nearly 2,150km before landing about 350m from the passenger terminal at the airport, according to local media reports. It left a crater 25m wide.
Lebanon-based Hezbollah has called the Houthi missile strike on Ben Gurion Airport a “heroic attack” that highlighted the failure of US and British efforts to weaken Yemen.
“This heroic attack confirms once again their inability to break the solid will of the Yemeni people or push them to retreat from their honorable position in supporting Gaza, in confronting the war of extermination waged by the Zionist enemy against innocent civilians,” a Hezbollah spokesman said in a statement, as cited by the media.
The group added the strike should serve as a call to action for all Arab and Islamic nations to mobilize their resources in support of Gaza.
Shares of Israeli airlines El Al and Israir have surged after the Houthi missile strike near Ben Gurion Airport prompted several foreign carriers to suspend flights to Tel Aviv.
El Al stock jumped 6.9%, extending its gains to nearly 40% this year. Israir shares rose by 3.8%.
Major foreign airlines, including Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Wizz Air, and Air France, suspended service to Tel Aviv through at least Tuesday. Air Europa also canceled a scheduled flight from Madrid on Monday, citing security concerns.
Yemeni independent researcher and journalist Hussein Al Bukhaiti has told RT that, despite threats, Israel is unlikely to inflict further damage on Yemen following weeks of US strikes that “have bombed every city in Yemen” and “killed and injured hundreds of Yemeni civilians.”
He said the missile strike on Ben Gurion Airport exposed the weakness of Israel’s air defenses, despite having four layers of protection. “So there is nothing actually that Israel could bring to stop a Yemeni attack against Israel… We know that the Israeli regime has targeted Sana’a airport months ago, and this is actually a kind of response,” he said.
Al Bukhaiti suggested the missile used in the strike may be a “new type of hypersonic missile,” which could explain why Israeli defense systems failed to intercept it. He also claimed the missile deliberately missed the airport terminal as a warning.
“This is kind of a message to the Israeli regime to close that airport, and I believe that if there is any coming attack... it will hit directly the building in that airport because Yemen now is at war against Israel,” he said.
Both the Israeli Air Force’s long-range Arrow air defense system and the US-supplied THAAD system failed to intercept the Houthi missile that hit Ben Gurion Airport, local media have reported, citing defense sources.
Washington deployed the THAAD system to Israel last year amid heightened tensions with Iran. The IDF said it is investigating the incident.
The Palestinian Resistance Committees, a group of Palestinian militant factions opposed to the Palestinian Authority and Fatah, have called the Yemeni missile strike a blow to what they described as the “false security illusion” promoted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a statement, the group said the attack also demonstrated “the failure of the American aggression on dear Yemen.”
Abu Obeida, spokesman for the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, has praised the Yemeni missile strike on Ben Gurion Airport.
“Glory to Yemen, Palestine’s counterpart, as it continues to challenge the most brutal forces of oppression and refuses to submit or be defeated despite the aggression it is subjected to,” Obeida said.
“Yemen escalates its attacks on the heart of the deformed Zionist entity, outperforming the most advanced systems in the world to accurately hit their targets,” he added.
The US has targeted Houthi training camps in the Khamis Bani Saad area of Al Mahwit Governorate, northwest of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, on Sunday, Al Arabiya has reported, citing sources. The strikes reportedly resulted in dozens of casualties.
A photo shows Israeli security forces examining a large crater at the site where the Houthi missile struck inside the perimeter of Ben Gurion Airport.
The Israel Defense Forces said it struck more than 100 targets in Gaza over the weekend, including Hamas operatives, tunnel infrastructure, and buildings used by the group.
The military added that it uncovered weapons caches in northern Gaza and in the Morag Corridor in the south. In Rafah, the Gaza Division said it destroyed dozens of “terror infrastructures” and killed several militants.
The Hamas authorities said Israeli strikes on Friday and Saturday killed dozens of people across the enclave.
Israeli journalist and political analyst Amir Oren has told RT that while Israelis are not fearful, Sunday’s strike on Ben Gurion Airport left many “concerned.”
He said Houthi missiles have targeted Israel before and were largely repelled by air defense, but this latest attack’s proximity to a major strategic site alarmed the public. “They were complacent because of the success up to now,” he said.
Oren added that Israel could consider striking Iran in response, as both West Jerusalem and Washington accuse Tehran of arming the Houthis, a claim the Iranian authorities deny. “[The US] has already undertaken a thousand missions against the Houthis, causing some damage, but not able to stop them from launching their attacks,” he said. “So the next probable target could be Iran, sponsoring Yemen, but this would take a decision coordinated with Washington.”
Israel is considering a direct strike on Yemen in response to this morning’s Houthi attack on Ben Gurion Airport, local media reports, citing a defense official. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to hold a security consultation at noon to discuss a potential response.
Spanish carrier Air Europa and Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air have canceled flights to Israel following the missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport. They joined other airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France, Austrian Airlines and Swiss Air Lines, which suspended service to the country earlier on Sunday.
Local journalist Nick Kolyohin has told RT that the missile struck near a plane preparing for takeoff as passengers were boarding, wounding several people.
“People didn’t have enough time to run for shelter,” he said, adding that while Israelis are accustomed to air raid sirens, “this time it was too close to them.”
Kolyohin said the strike shocked many, noting that Ben Gurion is Israel’s main international airport and a heavily protected facility. He said it was sheer luck the missile did not directly hit an aircraft, as it could have caused a tragedy with hundreds of casualties.
An Indian Airlines aircraft has been forced to return to India before landing at Ben Gurion Airport, immediately after the Yemeni missile strike.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior official in the Houthi movement, has told the Qatari Al-Araby TV channel that the Houthis demonstrated their ability to strike sensitive targets in Israel with the attack on Ben Gurion.
He added that the group has “no red lines” in its fight against Israel.
A video filmed inside Ben Gurion Airport captured passengers’ reactions at the moment the missile struck. People can be heard screaming while running for cover.
Benny Gantz, head of the Israeli opposition Blue and White party, has accused Iran for the attack on Ben Gurion.
“This is not Yemen – this is Iran. It is Iran that is firing ballistic missiles at the State of Israel, and it must bear responsibility... The shooting at the State of Israel is bound to lead to a sharp response,” he stated in a post on X.
The Houthis have confirmed the group was behind the missile strike at Ben Gurion.
“We managed to hit Ben Gurion Airport with a hypersonic ballistic missile. The American and Israeli defense systems have failed. Aircraft traffic was stopped for an hour. We warn the airlines: Ben Gurion Airport is unsafe,” the group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, has said.
Six people have been wounded in the missile attack, Israeli media report, citing medical officials. The injured include a man in his 50s with limb trauma and two women affected by a shockwave. A man in his 60s was lightly hurt by flying debris, while two other women were injured while running for shelter. All were taken to hospitals in central Israel.
Lufthansa, Swiss, and Austrian airlines have suspended flights to Israel following the missile strike on Ben Gurion.
Commenting on the incident, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned, “Whoever harms us, we will strike them sevenfold.”
Flights were temporarily suspended for about an hour but were resumed later.
“An investigation is underway regarding the impact at the Ben Gurion Airport area,” the Israel Airport Authority said in a statement.
Surveillance footage and videos posted online show the moment of impact.