Panic erupts at Israeli beach after Houthi missile attack
The Houthi rebels claimed the bombing "achieved its objective," according to Yemeni Brigadier General Yahya Saree, a claim contradicted by Israel.
Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a hypersonic missile on Friday targeting Tel Aviv and its surrounding areas, announced Brigadier General Yahya Saree, military spokesman for the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, a predominantly Zaidi Shia insurgent group and political movement with a nationalist and anti-imperialist ideology operating in Yemen and largely commanded by the Houthi tribe
According to the spokesperson, the attack achieved its objective. "Interception systems failed to stop it, forcing millions of Zionist occupiers to take cover and paralyzing operations at Ben Gurion Airport for nearly an hour," the statement said. In addition, a drone strike was launched "against a vital target of the Israeli enemy."
More missiles intercepted against Tel Aviv airport
"The missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces (Houthis) carried out a qualitative military operation against Lod Airport, known in Israel as Ben Gurion Airport, in the occupied Yafa (Tel Aviv) region, using a hypersonic ballistic missile and successfully achieved its objective," said military spokesman for the Yemeni rebels, Yahya Sarea.
Sarea insisted that they continue to prohibit Israeli or Israeli-linked ships from sailing in the Red and Arabian Seas, despite the ceasefire agreement reached last Tuesday with the United States aimed at ensuring the safety and stability of navigation in that region.
The agreement only addresses attacks by the Yemeni group, an Iran-aligned group, on ships in the Red Sea, and the Houthis themselves have warned that they will not stop attacking Israel until the war in Gaza ends
It's worth remembering that last Sunday, the impact of a Yemeni projectile on Tel Aviv International Airport (the first such occurrence since the start of the war) led several airlines to temporarily cancel their flights to Israel, although the incident ended without casualties. Only injuries were reported after the Houthi attack.
Airlines such as Air France, Yemen Airways, Lufthansa Group, and even Sana'a Airport have suspended flights to Tel Aviv due to the security situation. Several of these airlines even extended this suspension following the recent incidents.
In response to the Houthi offensive, the Israeli army launched a bombardment of Sana'a International Airport on Wednesday. According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, the airport was being used by rebels in Yemen for the "transfer of weapons and operatives."
"The airport, like the port of Al Hodeidah, which was attacked last night, is used by the Houthi terrorist organization to transport weapons and operatives and is continuously operated by the Houthi regime for terrorist purposes," the Israeli military said in a statement.
Israel claims to have "completely" dismantled this civilian infrastructure by attacking its runways, airport buildings, and the aircraft themselves. In addition to the airport, the Israeli Air Force bombed "several power plants" in the Sana'a area, claiming the Houthis were also exploiting those resources.
North of the Yemeni capital, Israeli aircraft attacked the Al Imram concrete plant, "which serves as a major source of funding for the Houthi terrorist regime and is used for the construction of underground tunnels and other terrorist infrastructure," according to the military statement.