At least 6 people were reported injured when a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi terrorist group struck Israel’s main Ben Gurion Airport, Israeli media reported Sunday morning.
Israel’s Arrow and U.S.-made THAAD air defense systems failed to intercept the Houthi ‘hypersonic’ missile based on technology provided by Iran. “A missile from Yemen fired in the morning at Israel was not intercepted and fell in the Ben Gurion Airport area. Both the Arrow and THAAD missile defenses failed to hit the projectile,” the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported. “The attack caused several international airlines to cancel flights to Israel.”
It is unclear if this was a direct hit or if a fragment from the intercepted missile fell on the airport, Israeli news reports say. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which operates the country’s air defense array, acknowledged that a missile from Yemen had landed within the parameters of the airport. “Following the sirens that sounded in a number of areas in Israel, several attempts were made to intercept the missile launched from Yemen. A fall was identified in the area of Ben-Gurion Airport,” the military said in a press release early Sunday morning.
The missile, which landed near the airport’s terminal 3, left several injured. “MDA [Israel’s equivalent of the Red Cross] medics and paramedics provided medical treatment to a 50-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman who were lightly wounded due to the blast, and a 32-year-old woman who was wounded on the way to the shelter,” the Jerusalem Post reported. “The wounded were evacuated to and treated at Shamir Medical Center in Tzrifin, including one person in moderate condition in the trauma room and four in mild condition.”
The Israeli news outlet Ynetnews reported the details of the incident:
The ballistic missile that struck Ben Gurion Airport was of a new model capable of evading radar systems, Houthi-affiliated media claimed on Sunday.However, senior Israeli officials later said the missile was not unusual and noted that similar ones had been intercepted in the past.According to the officials, an Arrow anti-air system interceptor was first launched at the Houthi missile, but missed. An investigation is underway to determine whether the failure was due to human error or a technical malfunction.They stressed that the target was properly detected, with IDF Home Front Command alerts issued several minutes before air raid sirens sounded. The missile struck Israel’s international airport while the sirens were still sounding.Following the failed Arrow interception, a THAAD interceptor from an American battery was launched as a second layer of defense, but also failed to hit the target. While Arrow’s interception rate is higher than THAAD’s, neither system provides foolproof protection.The Houthis officially claimed responsibility for the launch.
Houthis declared hostilities against Israel nearly 19 months ago following Hamas’ October 7 massacre, launching numerous drones and long-range missiles towards the country. The Iran-backed jihadist group has massively disrupted the global supply chain by launching a campaign of maritime terrorism against U.S. and Western-owned shipping, killing sailors and sinking ships.
In mid-March, President Donald Trump ordered a “decisive and powerful military action” against the Houthis, resulting in a wave of U.S. airstrikes against key terrorist targets in Yemen.
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