In a significant escalation of regional tensions, Yemen’s Houthi rebel group claimed responsibility for firing a ballistic missile targeting Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. According to a statement released by the group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, the missile was a hypersonic ballistic missile, designed to evade modern defense systems with its high speed and maneuverability.
“We targeted Ben Gurion airport with a hypersonic ballistic missile. Our operations will continue until the war stops and the siege on Gaza is lifted,” Saree declared. The attack comes amid growing Iranian-backed Houthi support for Palestinians in Gaza, where the humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate under Israeli bombardment and blockade.
The Israeli military confirmed the attempted attack, saying air raid sirens were activated across several parts of the country, including Tel Aviv. The military intercepted the missile in flight before it could reach its target. “A missile launched from Yemen was successfully neutralized,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced, without providing further technical details.
The missile launch appears to be a direct response to an Israeli airstrike on Monday that targeted Houthi positions in the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah. That assault reportedly damaged multiple military installations linked to the Houthis. This tit-for-tat exchange is the latest in a series of confrontations between Israel and the Houthis, part of a broader regional proxy conflict involving Iran.
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Houthis Expand Regional Attacks
This is not the first time the Houthis have attacked Israeli interests. Since the war in Gaza escalated in October 2023, the group has launched missiles and drones toward Israel and intensified maritime assaults in the Red Sea. Commercial shipping vessels have also come under repeated attacks as part of what the Houthis describe as operations in solidarity with Palestinians.
Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Houthi positions signal a shift in military focus beyond Gaza and the northern front with Hezbollah. Tel Aviv’s defense officials now increasingly view the Houthis as a legitimate long-range threat capable of destabilizing broader Middle Eastern security, especially with access to advanced Iranian weaponry.
The attack on Ben Gurion, though intercepted, represents a symbolic move. Israel’s primary international airport, located near Tel Aviv, is one of the country’s most heavily fortified civilian sites. Targeting such critical infrastructure signals the Houthis’ intent to expand the battlefield beyond traditional war zones, complicating Israel’s defense strategies.
International analysts warn that a sustained escalation between Israel and the Houthis could lead to further instability in the Arabian Peninsula and threaten international maritime trade routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The United States has also condemned the missile launch, reiterating support for Israel’s right to self-defense and calling for restraint from all sides.
Journalists in Gaza Risk Death by Starvation
Meanwhile, in Gaza, the humanitarian crisis continues to reach unprecedented levels. The AFP Journalists’ Association issued a grim warning on Monday, stating that its freelance reporters in Gaza face the risk of dying from starvation.
One of the 10 journalists affiliated with the French news agency posted a distressing message on social media: “I don’t have the strength to work for the media. My body is thin and I can’t work.” According to AFP, their workers are physically too weak to continue reporting, and the daily calls for help are growing more desperate.
Even though journalists are still being paid, the catastrophic collapse of Gaza’s food supply and skyrocketing prices have left them unable to find sustenance. The association stated, “We risk learning of their deaths at any moment. This is unbearable.”
AFP also emphasized that while the agency has endured war zones, injuries, and detentions in the past, the possibility of journalists dying from hunger is a horrifying first. “We refuse to see them die,” the association concluded, calling for immediate international intervention.
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