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Netanyahu vows to act against Houthis after attack on Israel’s main airport Netanyahu vows to act against Houthis after attack on Israel’s main airport
(about 3 hours later)
Strike by Yemen rebel group near Ben Gurion international airport causes US and European airlines to cancel flights Strike by Yemen rebel group came hours before security cabinet was due to vote on plans to expand Gaza offensive
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Sunday promised a multi-phased response to Yemen’s Houthis after the Iran-backed militants struck the area of Israel’s main airport with a missile. Benjamin Netanyahu has promised Israel will strike back against Yemen’s Houthis and “their Iranian terror masters” after a missile launched by the militia movement hit the perimeter of Israel’s main airport.
“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 published on the Telegram messaging platform. On X, the Israeli prime minister said on Sunday that Israel would respond to the Houthi attack “at a time and place of our choosing”, On Telegram, Netanyahu said Israel had acted against the Houthis in the past and would act again in the future.
European and US carriers have cancelled flights for the next few days after the missile landed near Ben Gurion international airport. After a ceasefire deal with the Palestinian militant group Hamas in January, many foreign carriers had begun to resume flights to Israel after halting them for much of the last year and a half. “It will not happen in one bang, but there will be many bangs,” he said.
Delta Air Lines said it had cancelled Sunday’s flight from JFK in New York to Tel Aviv and the return flight from Tel Aviv on Monday. The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for the attack on Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport and Israeli military confirmed that the missile was launched from Yemen.
Lufthansa Group, which includes Lufthansa, Swiss, Brussels and Austrian, said it had halted flights to and from Tel Aviv through to Tuesday due to the situation. ITA said it had cancelled flights from Italy to Israel through to Wednesday, while Air France cancelled flights on Sunday, saying customers were being transferred to flights on Monday. Local media reported that both Israeli and US defence systems had failed to down the missile, which left a deep crater in an open field on the perimeter of the airport, and that an investigation was underway.
Ryanair suspended flights on Sunday but flights are still scheduled for Monday, according to the Israel Airports Authority. Most attacks from Yemen during the conflict in Gaza have been intercepted by Israel’s missile defence systems, apart from a drone strike that hit Tel Aviv last July. Sunday’s missile strike sent a plume of smoke into the air, caused panic among passengers in the terminal building and led to air traffic being suspended for an hour.
Claiming responsibility for the strike that sent a plume of smoke into the air and caused panic among passengers in the terminal building, the Houthis’ military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said Israel’s main airport was “no longer safe for air travel”. European and US carriers have cancelled flights for the next few days. Many had only recently begun to resume services to Israel after the Gaza ceasefire, which temporarily paused hostilities between mid-January and mid-March. This followed their suspension of flights for much of the last year and a half.
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 missile attack came hours before Israel’s security cabinet was due to vote on plans to expand the fighting in Gaza with a new offensive.
Military officials confirmed on Sunday that tens of thousands of reservists had been called up, though it was unclear when any new operations would be launched.
The aim of the offensive would be to put pressure on Hamas to release hostages it continues to hold in Gaza; to further degrade the militant Islamist group’s military capabilities; and to “seize ground” that would be used as leverage in future negotiations, officials said.
Hardliners in the Israeli cabinet have been pushing for a broad offensive in Gaza for many months.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right national security minister, told Israeli Army Radio he wanted to see a “powerful” expansion of the war, but did not disclose details as to what the new plans would entail.
“We need to increase the intensity and continue until we achieve total victory. We must win a total victory,” he said. Ben-Gvir demanded that Israel bomb “the food and electricity supplies” in Gaza.
Two months ago, Israel imposed a tight blockade of Gaza, stopping all food, medicine, fuel and other items entering the devastated territory. Israel’s military is making preparations for new orders to allow aid in, but only under strict conditions. Israeli officials accuse Hamas of diverting humanitarian assistance to fund its military operations. Hamas denies the charge.
Israeli airstrikes have continued daily across Gaza. At least seven Palestinians including two parents and their two children, aged two and four, were killed in in southern and central Gaza on Sunday, Palestinian medics said.
Israel’s military said on Sunday that two soldiers were killed in combat in the territory, bringing the number of Israeli troops killed since fighting resumed in March to six.
The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 250 hostages. Israel says 59 hostages remain in Gaza, although roughly 35 of them are said to be dead.
The Israeli offensive has killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians. The fighting has displaced more than 90% of its population, often multiple times. Hunger has been widespread and the shortage of food has set off looting.
The attacks by the Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, underline the regional dimension of the conflict in Gaza. The Iran-backed militia began targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping in late 2023, claiming it was acting out of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The US 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 US 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.
Reuters and Agence-France Presse contributed to this report The Houthis’ military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said on Sunday that the missile strike meant Israel’s main airport was “no longer safe for air travel”.
The Israel Airports Authority (IAA) said the attack marked the first time a missile had fallen so close to Ben Gurion airport’s terminal and the runways. Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said it had treated at least six people with light to moderate injuries.
Lufthansa Group, which includes the airlines Lufthansa, Swiss, Brussels and Austrian, said it had halted flights to and from Tel Aviv through to Tuesday because of the situation. ITA Airways said it had cancelled flights from Italy to Israel through to Wednesday, while Air France cancelled flights on Sunday, saying customers were being transferred to flights on Monday.
Ryanair suspended flights on Sunday but flights were still scheduled for Monday, according to the IAA.