Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday threatened to respond to the Houthi missile strike from Yemen on Tel Aviv’s airport by retaliating against Iran "in due time," during an emergency meeting of the war cabinet.
"The Houthi attacks emanate from Iran. Israel will respond to the Houthi attack on our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters," the Prime Minister stated on X.
The missile attack briefly disrupted air traffic at Israel’s main international gateway and prompted a strong response from Defense Minister Israel Katz. "Anyone who hits us, we will hit them seven times stronger," Katz declared in a statement issued shortly after the incident.
Later in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a multi-phased response to Houthis. "We have acted against them in the past and we will act in the future, but I cannot go into detail (...) it will not happen in one bang, but there will be many bangs," Netanyahu said in a video on published on the Telegram messaging platform.
The Israeli army confirmed that a missile launched from Yemen struck near Ben Gurion Airport. Initial reports mentioned "several attempts" to intercept the projectile, and police later confirmed a missile impact in the area. The Houthis claimed responsibility, saying the strike was carried out using a "hypersonic ballistic missile" in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
In response to the attack, international airlines suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv. The Lufthansa Group — which includes Swiss, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings — announced it would suspend operations until May 6 due to “the current situation.” Air India and British Airways also followed suit, with British Airways suspending all flights until May 7. Air France, for its part, said it had canceled its two scheduled flights between Paris and Tel Aviv for the day, but has not yet decided to suspend the route entirely, unlike several other international carriers.
Iranian Axis Exults
The armed wing of Hamas praised the attack, with spokesperson Abu Obeida hailing Yemen’s escalation as a blow to "the heart of the illegitimate Zionist entity" and a challenge to Israel’s advanced defense systems.
Hezbollah also issued a statement lauding what it called a “qualitative operation” by the Yemeni armed forces, which it said struck "Ben Gurion Airport in the heart of the temporary entity (Israel), infiltrating all Zionist and American defense systems and hitting its target with high precision.” The group added that the attack proves "the failure of the American-British aggression against Yemen and its inability to break the will of the Yemeni people or push them to retreat from their honorable stance in support of Gaza and in confronting the genocide carried out by the Zionist enemy against innocent civilians."
"The steadfast and unwavering position of the dear Yemeni people and their wise and courageous leadership in supporting Gaza and its resisting population—despite ongoing aggression and suffocating blockade—is a source of pride for all free people of the Ummah (Islamic nation)," the group concluded, calling on Arab and Islamic nations to mobilize their capacities in support of Gaza.
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