Israel intends to respond to the Houthi attack on Ben-Gurion International Airport not only with action against Yemeni rebels, but also with action against Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an article in “Ex“, in which he also said that the Houthi attacks come from Iran, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
“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,“ Netanyahu said.
Eight people were injured last night after the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile at Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv. The Israeli military confirmed that the strike occurred near the airport.
Israeli news website Ynet reported that an emergency security meeting decided that Israel would launch a military response to the Houthi attack in close coordination with the United States.
Israeli television channel En12 reported that both the Israeli Arrow 3 missile defense system and the (Arrow 3) and the US THAAD missile defense system failed to intercept the missile launched from Yemen.
Yemeni Houthi rebels intend to impose a complete air blockade on Israel by striking the Jewish state's airports, including Ben-Gurion Airport, said the movement's spokesman, Yahya Sariyah, quoted by BTA.
"In response to Israel's decision to expand its aggressive operation in the Gaza Strip, the armed forces declare that they will work to establish a complete air blockade on the Israeli enemy by carrying out repeated strikes on airports, especially Lod Airport, known in Israel as Ben-Gurion Airport," Sariyah told the rebel-controlled Al-Ahram TV channel. Masira“.
The spokesman called on airlines to “take this statement into account after its publication and cancel all flights to enemy airports to ensure the safety of aircraft and passengers“.
Most attacks from Yemen have been intercepted by Israeli missile defense systems, although last year a drone managed to hit Tel Aviv, Reuters notes. Last night's missile was the only one of a series launched since March that was not intercepted.
The Israeli military said there was a technical problem with the interceptor fired at the missile.
“Initial findings do not reveal a malfunction in the detection procedure, the interception systems or the warning mechanisms“, the army said in a statement.
Last year, Iran and Israel came dangerously close to full-scale war, with both sides launching air strikes on each other, raising fears of an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, DPA recalls.