Yemen’s Houthis claim fresh attack against Israel

Sanaa: Yemen’s Houthi group took responsibility for launching a fresh “hypersonic ballistic missile” attack against central Israel, saying it was aimed at Ben Gurion Airport.

“We carried out a military operation targeting Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel, using a hypersonic ballistic missile,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement, aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

Sarea said the group would continue its attacks “until the Israeli aggression on Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted.”

“We will continue to ban Israeli air traffic to and from Ben Gurion Airport,” the Houthi military spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said in a statement that it intercepted a missile fired by Houthi forces in Yemen towards central Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

Houthi forces in Yemen fired a missile towards central Israel Thursday night, Israel’s military said in a statement, adding that Israel’s aerial defence systems intercepted it.

The missile triggered air raid sirens in 660 cities and communities across central Israel, including Tel Aviv, as well as several Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to alerts sent by the country’s Homefront Command. Sirens were also sounded at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv, as about 30,000 fans gathered for the State Cup football final.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said that no casualties were reported.

“A missile launched from Yemen was intercepted,” the military said, adding that “sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.”

Houthi forces in Yemen have pledged to halt attacks on US vessels but have continued to fire missiles at Israel, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where an Israeli offensive that began 19 months ago has killed more than 54,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities.

Israel has carried out a series of retaliatory airstrikes in Yemen, including a strike earlier in May on the capital, Sanaa, which damaged the country’s main international airport and killed several people.

On Wednesday, the Israeli air forces launched airstrikes on the Sanaa airport in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, destroying the runway, facilities, and the last passenger plane in the airport.

The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, has been targeting Israel since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.