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USA Today
06-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Passengers panic after Houthi missile lands near Israel's main airport
Passengers panic after Houthi missile lands near Israel's main airport Show Caption Hide Caption Greek-flagged tanker leaks oil after Houthi attack The tanker was still burning nearly a week after it was hit with several projectiles off Yemen. A missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels towards Israel on Sunday landed near Ben Gurion Airport, the country's main international airport, sending a plume of smoke into the air and causing panic among passengers in the terminal building. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who claimed responsibility for the missile strike, have recently intensified missile launches at Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. A senior Israeli police commander, Yair Hetzroni, showed reporters a crater caused by the impact of the missile, which airport authorities said had landed beside a road near a Terminal 3 parking lot. "You can see the scene right behind us here, a hole that opened up with a diameter of tens of metres and also tens of metres deep," Hetzroni said, adding that there was no significant damage. In a statement after the strike, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said: "Whoever harms us will be harmed sevenfold." Israel's Channel 12 News said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would meet security ministers and defence officials on Sunday to discuss a response. Most missile launches from Yemen have been intercepted by Israel's missile defence systems, apart from a strike that hit Tel Aviv last year. The military said it was investigating what happened with Sunday's launch, which caused sirens to be activated across central Israel, including nearby in the major city of Tel Aviv. A Reuters reporter at the airport, which is located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, heard sirens and saw passengers reacting by running towards safe rooms. Several people at the airport posted videos filmed on smartphones that showed a plume of black smoke clearly visible nearby, behind parked aircraft and airport buildings. Reuters has not verified the videos. The Israeli ambulance service said eight people were being taken to hospital, including a man in a mild to moderate condition with injuries to his limbs and two women in a mild condition with head injuries. US strikes on Houthis Claiming responsibility for the strike, the Houthis' military spokesperson Yahya Saree said Israel's main airport was "no longer safe for air travel". A spokesperson for the Israel Airports Authority said takeoffs and landings had resumed and operations at Ben Gurion had returned to normal, after reports of air traffic being halted and access routes to the airport being blocked. However, flight operations were disrupted due to the missile, according to Ben Gurion's live air traffic site. Some flights, including by Air India, TUS Airways and Lufthansa Group, were cancelled. Others, including to U.S. airports Newark and JFK, were delayed by about 90 minutes. A Reuters reporter boarded a flight to Dubai that was on time. Sunday's strike came as Israeli ministers were reported to be close to signing off on plans to expand the military operation in Gaza, which resumed in March following a two-month truce, drawing a pledge from the Houthis to hit Israel with more missiles. Efforts to revive the ceasefire have so far faltered, and U.S. President Donald Trump in March ordered large-scale strikes against the Houthis to reduce their capabilities and deter them from targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, began targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping in late 2023, during the early days of the war between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip. The war was triggered by Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel's offensive on Gaza has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and destroyed much of the enclave. The U.S. strikes on the rebel group, which have killed hundreds of people in Yemen, have been the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office in January. (Reporting by Menna Alaa El-Din, Jaidaa Taha, Alexander Cornwell and Steven Scheer;Writing by Estelle Shirbon;Editing by Toby Chopra and Helen Popper)
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Missile fired by Yemen's Houthis lands near Israel's main airport
JERUSALEM: A missile fired by Yemen 's Houthi rebels towards Israel on Sunday landed near Ben Gurion Airport , the country's main international airport, sending a plume of smoke into the air and causing panic among passengers in the terminal building. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack India much better equipped to target cross-border terror since Balakot India conducts maiden flight-trials of stratospheric airship platform Pakistan shuts ports for Indian ships after New Delhi bans imports from Islamabad Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who claimed responsibility for the missile strike, have recently intensified missile launches at Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like ₹2 Crore Term Plan For The Middle-Class Salaried Employees at Just ₹876/M Best Term Insurance! Click Here Undo "We attacked in the past, we will attack in the future," he said in a video circulated by his office. A senior Israeli police commander, Yair Hetzroni, showed reporters a crater caused by the impact of the missile, which airport authorities said landed beside a road near a Terminal 3 parking lot. The airport lies near the major city of Tel Aviv. Live Events "You can see the scene right behind us here, a hole that opened up with a diameter of tens of metres and also tens of metres deep," Hetzroni said, adding that there was no significant damage. Israel's Channel 12 News said Netanyahu would meet security ministers and defence officials on Sunday to discuss a response.
Epoch Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Yemen's Houthis Fire Missile Near Israel's Main Airport
The Houthi terrorist group on May 4 fired a missile toward Israel that landed near Ben Gurion Airport, the country's main international airport, sending a plume of smoke into the air and causing panic in the terminal building. The Houthis, who are aligned with Iran and based in Yemen, claimed responsibility for the strike. Recently, the group has ramped up missile attacks on Israel, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, which is controlled by the Iran-aligned Hamas terrorist group. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to retaliate. 'We attacked in the past, we will attack in the future,' he said in a video published by his office. Yair Hetzroni, a senior Israeli police commander, showed reporters a crater created by the missile's impact. Airport authorities said it landed beside a road near a Terminal 3 parking lot. 'You can see the scene right behind us here, a hole that opened up with a diameter of tens of metres and also tens of metres deep,' Hetzroni said. Related Stories 5/1/2025 4/30/2025 He added that there was no significant damage. Netanyahu plans to meet with security ministers and defense officials on Sunday to formulate a response, Israel's Channel 12 News reported. Aside from a drone strike that hit Tel Aviv in 2024, Israel's missile defense systems have intercepted the vast majority of attacks from Yemen. The missile on Sunday was the only strike among several launched over the past few days that Israel failed to intercept. The Israel Defense Forces said it would investigate. 'Today, at approximately 9:18 a.m., the IDF identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory. According to protocol, sirens were sounded in a number of areas in Israel,' the Israel Defense Forces said. 'Several attempts were made to intercept the missile. A hit was identified in the area of Ben Gurion Airport.' A reporter at the airport saw passengers running toward safe rooms as sirens blared. Smartphone videos showed a plume of black smoke rising behind parked aircraft and airport buildings. Pictures showed a nearby road littered with dust and debris. Eight people were sent to the hospital for mild to moderate injuries, according to the Israeli ambulance service. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said Israel's main airport was 'no longer safe for air travel.' After reports said air traffic was halted and access routes to the airport were blocked, the Israel Airports Authority said operations had returned to normal. Meanwhile, multiple airlines, including Delta, Lufthansa, ITA Airways, and Air France, said they had canceled flights entering and leaving Tel Aviv. Several had been scheduled for Monday or Tuesday. The airstrike followed reports of Israeli ministers nearing a sign-off on plans to increase military operations in Gaza that resumed in March after a two-month ceasefire. There have been efforts to revive the truce between Israel and Hamas, but they have since failed to manifest. In March, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered widespread strikes against Houthi terrorists, which killed hundreds in Yemen, to limit the group's capacity and deter it from threatening commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Controlling large areas of Yemen, the Houthis began targeting Red Sea commerce and Israel in late 2023, shortly after war broke out between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hamas's large-scale assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, triggered the war. Israel's retaliatory campaign has led to 52,000 deaths in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health ministry, leaving much of the territory destroyed. On April 30, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 'Message to IRAN: We see your lethal support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing,' Hegseth wrote in a Owen Evans and Reuters contributed to this report.
Indian Express
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Netanyahu to chair security meet to decide response after Houthi missile strike near Tel Aviv airport
A missile strike by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck near Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, Israel's busiest international airport, causing panic and disrupting flights. The strike, which was captured in dramatic videos posted online, left a large crater near Terminal 3. 'You can see the scene right behind us here a hole that opened up with a diameter of tens of metres and also tens of metres deep,' Israeli police commander Yair Hetzroni told reporters at the site, according to report by Reuters. The missile, which avoided interception by Israel's air defence systems, sent sirens blaring across central Israel, including Tel Aviv. Eight people were taken to hospital. One man in his 50s suffered injuries to his limbs, two women were treated for head wounds, and others sustained minor injuries or shock while running to shelter. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for emergency security meetings with ministers and top defence officials to discuss a possible response. According to Channel 12 News, the government is considering its next steps. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a strong warning: 'Whoever harms us will be harmed sevenfold.' While most missiles from Yemen are usually intercepted, Sunday's strike was a rare success for the Houthis and raised fresh concerns over Israel's air defence capabilities. A military investigation is underway to determine how the missile managed to get through. The Houthis, backed by Iran, have increased missile and drone attacks on Israel since the Gaza war resumed in March. The group said it launched the missile in support of Palestinians in Gaza and warned that Israel's main airport is 'no longer safe for air travel.' Following the strike, flights at Ben Gurion were temporarily suspended. Although operations resumed shortly after, several international airlines including Lufthansa, Swiss, Air Europa, and TUS Airways cancelled or delayed flights. Some routes to the US, including Newark and JFK, faced delays of up to 90 minutes. The attack comes at a time when Israeli ministers are reportedly preparing to expand their military operations in Gaza, as ceasefire talks remain stalled. The US has also launched large-scale strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in recent months, aiming to reduce the group's capacity to strike both Israel and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
RTHK
04-05-2025
- Politics
- RTHK
Houthi-claimed missile strike hits Israel airport area
Houthi-claimed missile strike hits Israel airport area The impact of the missile caused a crater beside a road near a Terminal 3 parking lot. Photo: Reuters A missile fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels towards Israel on Sunday landed near Ben Gurion Airport, the country's main international airport, sending a plume of smoke into the air and causing panic among passengers in the terminal building. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, who claimed responsibility for the missile strike, have recently intensified missile launches at Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. A senior Israeli police commander, Yair Hetzroni, showed reporters a crater caused by the impact of the missile, which airport authorities said had landed beside a road near a Terminal 3 parking lot. "You can see the scene right behind us here, a hole that opened up with a diameter of tens of metres and also tens of metres deep," Hetzroni said, adding that there was no significant damage. In a statement after the strike, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said: "Whoever harms us will be harmed sevenfold." Israel's Channel 12 News said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would meet security ministers and defence officials on Sunday to discuss a response. Most missile launches from Yemen have been intercepted by Israel's missile defence systems, apart from a strike that hit Tel Aviv last year. The military said it was investigating what happened with Sunday's launch, which caused sirens to be activated across central Israel, including nearby in the major city of Tel Aviv. The Israeli ambulance service said eight people were being taken to hospital, including a man in a mild to moderate condition with injuries to his limbs and two women in a mild condition with head injuries. Claiming responsibility for the strike, the Houthis' military spokesperson Yahya Saree said Israel's main airport was "no longer safe for air travel". A spokesperson for the Israel Airports Authority said takeoffs and landings had resumed and operations at Ben Gurion had returned to normal, after reports of air traffic being halted and access routes to the airport being blocked. However, flight operations were disrupted due to the missile, according to Ben Gurion's live air traffic site. Some flights, including by Air India, TUS Airways and Lufthansa Group, were cancelled. Others, including to US airports Newark and JFK, were delayed by about 90 minutes. (Reuters)
