Illustrative – An anti-missile system fires interception missiles as rockets fired from Lebanon (Photo: Photo: Ayal Margolin/Flash90)
A ballistic missile launched by the Houthi terror group in Yemen fell short and crashed in Saudi Arabia on Saturday after another ballistic missile was fired at Israel on Friday evening but was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force.
The Houthis took responsibility for the attack on Saturday evening, claiming to have “successfully” fired a “hypersonic” ballistic missile at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport.
The terror group’s spokesperson, Yahya Saree, further echoed earlier warnings to international airlines that the airport was now unsafe for flights, and that this blockade would continue until Israel stopped its “aggression in Gaza.”
Israel Defense Forces identified the launch but warning sirens were not activated in Israel as it did not pose a threat.
The earlier missile launch on Friday came around 10:30 p.m., some hours after the start of the Jewish Sabbath. Israeli defense systems successfully intercepted the incoming missile outside of Israel’s air space.
While there were no Israeli casualties, the Houthi missile triggered sirens across central Israel and the Jerusalem area. Shrapnel was later found near Hebron.
The Houthis have now launched four missile attacks against Israel in four days.
The group appears to be focusing its missile attacks on Ben Gurion Airport, a critical asset for the Israeli economy and the country’s ties to the outside world.
On Thursday, Saree announced that the Houthis have imposed a “blockade” on Ben Gurion Airport.
“After the success of our Yemeni Armed Forces in cutting off Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, a blockade is imposed on Ben-Gurion Airport in occupied Palestine,” the Iran-backed terror group stated in a message on the social media platform 𝕏.
The Houthi militia explicitly warned international airlines, including Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways and easyJet, to avoid flying to Ben Gurion Airport for “everyone’s safety.”
“Please take the decision of the Yemeni Armed Forces seriously, as Ben-Gurion Airport is no longer safe until the aggression on Gaza stops,” the Houthis threatened on 𝕏.
Israeli authorities announced earlier this month that Ben Gurion’s Terminal 1 would reopen at the end of March for the expected return of many international airline companies to Israel after more than a year of war with Iran and its regional terror proxies.
While Ben Gurion Airport is considered one of the safest airports in the world, the Houthis seek to isolate Israel by disrupting international flights to and from the Jewish state.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. military to strike the Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
“Today I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen,” Trump stated in a post on the social media platform Truth Social.
“They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other ships, aircraft and drones,” he continued.
Trump vowed that the U.S. military strikes would continue for as long as the Houthis continue to disrupt international shipping in the Red Sea.
“To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY,” Trump wrote. “IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” he warned.
Washington has reportedly asked Jerusalem to focus on the threat from Hamas and Hezbollah and let the United States deal with the Houthi threat.
Dozens of Houthi terrorists, including some senior officials, have reportedly been killed in the U.S. strikes. However, the Houthis have so far refused to back down, vowing to continue attacking Israel, as well as U.S. military vessels.
The senior Houthi official Jamal Amer recently warned that an escalation with the United States was likely.
“Now we see that Yemen is at war with the U.S. and that means that we have a right to defend ourselves with all possible means, so escalation is likely,” Amer said.