Argentina's President Javier Milei Captures Houthi Missile Attack on Israel
Argentine's President Javier Milei shared images of a suspected Houthi missile attack against Israel a day after Israeli forces struck a port used by the Yemeni group in an unprecedented naval attack.
Milei landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport on Monday night for a three-day-visit to meet with Israeli leaders, staying at King David Hotel in Jerusalem, according to the Buenos Aires Times.
The Houthis said they had targeted Ben Gurion Airport with two ballistic missiles on Tuesday, claiming one had hit its target, but the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said at least one was intercepted and reported no further damage.
Newsweek has reached out to the IDF for further comment.
The Iranian-backed group has been undeterred by a recent U.S. airstrike campaign and ongoing Israeli operations against their targets in Yemen and the attack demonstrates its continued ability to attack Israel from afar.
The Houthis have launched attacks against Israeli and American interests in the Red Sea following the war on Gaza that erupted after Hamas' 2023 October attack, but their threats have expanded to international vessels and now airliners.
"I just saw this from the hotel where I'm staying in Jerusalem," Milei posted to his X account on Tuesday night, along with video footage showing missiles apparently intercepted in the sky. Milei is a staunch supporter of Israel.
Milei's post came as sirens sounded in Jerusalem after a missile was launched from Yemen during his stay, Yedioth Ahronoth's Ynet reported.
Military spokesperson for the Houthi group Yahya Saree said two missile attacks targeting the Ben Gurion airport. "One of the missiles directly hit Lod Airport, and interceptor systems failed to intercept it," in a video statement Tuesday.
The IDF said "one missile launched from Yemen was apparently intercepted. Additional interceptors were launched due to concerns about falling interceptor fragments," according to a statement on X.
Although there has been no confirmation of halting air traffic at the airport, Houthi attacks have impacted operations with some global airlines suspending flights in May.
The Houthi attack followed Israel's first Navy assault on the group-controlled Hodeida port in Yemen.
"The strikes were carried out to stop the use of the port for military purposes," an Israeli military official told Newsweek. "The Israeli Navy has been preparing for the operation for an extended period of time, and it is safe to say that it was a successful one."
The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Gaza, which has been devastated by the Israeli offensive launched after its Hamas rulers attacked Israel from there in October, 2023.
Argentina's President Javier Milei wrote on X: "I strongly suggest that when you comment on what's happening in Israel, you keep in mind what it's like to live under this situation."
Houthi Military Spokesperson Yahia Saree in statement via Telegram: "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 their side until the aggression against them stops and the siege is lifted."
An Israeli military official told Newsweek: "We will continue to operate against the Houthi threat - we have done so in the past, we have acted today, and we will act again in the future as long as this threat to Israel persists."
Military action is expected to escalate between the two sides with the Houthis now threatening to attack Israel's Haifa port.
Related Articles
Houthis Defiant After Unprecedented Israeli Naval AttackTrump Changes Top Middle East General For Strong Iran HawkFive Signs Israel and Iran Could Be Headed Toward Open WarTrump Reshapes the Middle East with Israel's Foes
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Netanyahu: ‘Operation Rising Lion' Will Last as Many Days as It Takes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed a military operation against Iran called 'Rising Lion' had begun and could last 'as many days as it takes.'
The Intercept
15 minutes ago
- The Intercept
Did Israel Just 'Blow Up' Trump's Bid For an Iran Nuke Deal?
A firefighter calls out his colleagues at the scene of an explosion in a residence compound in northern Tehran, Iran, on June 13, 2025. Photo: Vahid Salemi/AP The attack had been predicted for weeks, but over the last few days, the chatter was taken seriously enough that the U.S. ordered non-essential diplomatic personnel to evacuate the region. By the time the Israeli military finally struck Iran on Thursday evening — early Friday morning in Tehran — the U.S. and Iran were just three days out from a sixth round of scheduled nuclear talks in Muscat, Oman. With the bombs dropped, questions hung in the air. How fierce would Iran's promised response be? Did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aim to scuttle the nuclear talks? President Donald Trump had been pursuing hard-nosed diplomacy with Iran, but did he even try to stop Israel? In what it deemed a 'preemptive strike,' the Israeli military claimed to target Iran's nuclear sites, like the one in Natanz, its ballistic missile program, nuclear scientists, and senior military officials. Among them was armed forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, who was initially rumored to be dead but is apparently safe. Given that Iran had neither shown any preparations for an attack on Israel nor made any military threats against it, the preemptive strike was certainly illegal under international law—not that Netanyahu has shown any particular concern for such niceties. Netanyahu said the operation will continue. That, presumably, means war. Whatever damage Iran sustained in the overnight attack, Netanyahu stated in a speech that the operation targeting Iran's nuclear program will continue until he is satisfied that the threat it presents is eliminated. That, presumably, means war — one that will be increasingly difficult for the U.S. to stay out of, especially when it comes to defending Israel in the face of Iranian retaliation. At this early hour exact casualty numbers from the strikes are not known, but images coming out of Tehran show multiple residential buildings damaged and explosions across the capitol city. Several prominent figures in Iranian military, nuclear, and academic circles have been confirmed killed. The chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, was among them, as were Azad University president Mohammad Tehranchi, a theoretical physicist; Fereydoon Abbasi, a politician and former head of the Atomic Energy Organization; and Gen. Gholamali Rashid, commander of Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran's unified military command. Ahead of the attack, Israel telegraphed its plans through leaks to the media — and Trump faced questions from a reporter on Thursday about the possibility. The president suggested a strike could happen at any time, though he maintained that he preferred diplomacy. It seems clear enough from Trump's response that, while the U.S. may not have given Netanyahu a green light to attack, it didn't demand that it refrain from doing so. Tellingly, in his answer to the reporter, Trump said that an attack by Israel could 'blow up' the scheduled talks between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, but added that an attack may also be helpful. Presumably, Trump thought an attack might give the U.S. more leverage over a weakened and chastened Iran. It's impossible to know if Trump came up with the notion himself, or if it came out of the meeting on the Iran nuclear issue he held with his foreign policy team at Camp David on Sunday. Regardless, if meant seriously, the idea showed a fundamental misunderstanding of Iran, which is even less likely to compromise on its nuclear program than it might have been before the attack. Netanyahu may just have a better grasp on the Iranians than the Trump administration. It seems likely that the Israeli leader chose to attack Iran not to give Trump and Witkoff more leverage, but to put an end to the talks once and for all. Taken aback by Trump's announcement earlier this year that the U.S. would begin direct talks with Iran, Netanyahu has seemed determined since then to scupper the possibility of a new nuclear agreement. Netanyahu, echoed by Israel's staunchest supporters in Congress, demanded the talks result in a complete dismantling of Iran's nuclear program — which he is well aware was a non-starter for Iran — or threatening military action if the talks didn't accomplish his goal. The Israeli strike, in the end, could have more far-reaching consequences, scuttling not just the talks themselves, but any chance of an entente between the U.S. and Iran. In that sense, Netanyahu has succeeded. Even if talks continue, the idea Trump once had for a 'successful' Iran — at peace and integrated into the world economy — is today certainly blown up.
The Hill
26 minutes ago
- The Hill
Israeli strikes in Iran kill Revolutionary Guards chief
The Israeli military's overnight attack inside Iran killed Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Crops (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salami, according to multiple Iranian state media reports. 'Major General Hossein Salami, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was martyred in the Israeli regime's attack on the IRGC headquarters,' the Tasnim news agency, associated with the IRGC, reported. Israeli strikes also killed the senior IRGC commander Gholamali Rashid, along with at least two prominent nuclear scientists — Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoun Abbasi, according to Iranian state TV. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli military targeted Iran's nuclear scientists, ballistic missile sites and Natanz, one of the country's top enrichment facilities. 'We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear enrichment program. We struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear weaponization program. We targeted Iran's leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb. We also struck at the heart of Iran's ballistic missile program,' Netanyahu said in a Friday morning video statement. Netanyahu said the operation is dubbed 'Rising Lion' and warned that it will 'continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.' Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Israel 'should anticipate a harsh punishment. The strong hand of the Islamic Republic will not let them go.' The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said it launched a 'preemptive, precise, combined offensive' to strike Iran's rapidly expanding nuclear program. 'The State of Israel has no choice but to fulfill the obligation to act in defense of its citizens and will continue to do so everywhere it is required to do so, as we have done in the past,' the IDF said in a statement. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that it was in contact with Iranian authorities and confirmed that Natanz was hit. The watchdog, which is based in Austria, criticized Iran earlier on Thursday, saying that Tehran has kept up enriching uranium to near weapon-grade levels and has not complied with its nonproliferation obligations. Big explosions could be heard in Tehran along with smoke coming out of some of the buildings. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is not 'involved' in the attack and that the administration's top priority is 'protecting American forces in the region.' 'Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners,' Rubio said in a statement late Thursday. 'Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel.' President Trump has not commented on the developments. He has a National Security Council meeting at 11 a.m. on Friday, according to the White House. Trump previously said that Israeli strikes against Iran have the potential to derail Washington's nuclear talks with Tehran. 'As long as I think there is an agreement, I don't want them going in because I think that would blow it. Might help it, actually. But also, could blow it,' said Trump, who has previously warned Netanyahu to refrain from military action against Iran in fear of it running the negotiations with Iran. So far, the U.S. has completed five rounds of nuclear talks with Iran, led by Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Witkoff is planning to meet with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday for the sixth round of discussions in Muscat, Oman on Sunday, a U.S. official said Thursday morning. The two sides still appear to be far apart on striking a deal as Iran wants to keep enriching uranium, a red line for the U.S. side. Israeli strikes come as the administration ordered a downsizing of the number of diplomats and military dependents in the Middle East. 'They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place. We'll see what happens, Trump said Wednesday. 'We've given notice to move out and we'll see what happens.' On Wednesday, Iran's Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said that if Tehran's discussions with the U.S. go sideways and conflict with Washington arises, Iran would strike U.S. military bases in the region.
