Houthis Hit Ben Gurion Airport with Hypersonic Missile: Israel Vows Revenge

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu called for an urgent meeting later today to weigh responses to the ongoing Houthi missile attacks on Israel.

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz responded, following the firing of the missile from Yemen: “Whoever harms us will be harmed sevenfold.”

Not to be outdone, a senior Houthi official vowed that, “We will continue to attack Ben Gurion Airport, we don't have a red line.”

Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that the Israeli army is preparing for a wide-scale military response. Israeli security officials stated: “Israel will respond forcefully. After the damage to Ben Gurion Airport, there is no restriction on us.”

A senior figure in Yemen’s Houthi militia, Yahya Saree claimed responsibility, describing the missile strike as “proof of our ability to strike fortified sites in Israel.”

He said it was carried out “in rejection of (Israel’s) crime of genocide against the people of Gaza.”

The strike is the first time Israel’s international airport has been successfully targeted by the group.

“The American and Israeli defense systems failed to intercept the missile aimed at Ben Gurion Airport,” Yahya Saree, the group’s spokesperson, said in a statement, adding that the airport was targeted with a “hypersonic ballistic missile.”

Eight people were injured, mostly from running for cover during the sirens. The missile struck a grassy area near the main highway leading to the airport, damaging parts of the entrance to Terminal 3.

A senior Israeli police commander, Yair Hetzroni, showed reporters a crater caused by the impact of the missile on a road near a Terminal 3 parking lot.

“You can see the scene right behind us here, a hole that opened up with a diameter of tens of meters and also tens of metres deep,” Hetzroni said.

A GAME CHANGER

The Houthis have acquired Iranian-made hypersonic missiles since June of last year. It is a version of the Iranian-made Fattah-1, which can travel at speeds of up to Mach 3 or three times the speed of sound.

From a report by Unz.com:

“On June 26, Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched an attack on a commercial ship in the Arabian Sea using a long-range, solid-fuel hypersonic ballistic missile. It was the first time the group had used the state-of-the-art missile in its military operations. The significance of the development cannot be overstated. Hypersonic missiles—which feature technological advances that are still unavailable in the West—are more accurate, harder to shoot down, and travel longer distances than earlier models. These unique, cutting-edge weapons are a force-multiplier that give the Houthis a decided advantage in future attacks in the Red Sea and beyond.”

AN UNPLEASANT REMINDER

The Houthi attack is an “unpleasant reminder to Israelis that the war is not over” according to Meron Rapoport, an Israeli journalist.

The missile attack launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels at Israel’s main international airport outside Tel Aviv has taken the Israelis by surprise, he said. “It certainly is hurting the Israeli image [of] trying to portray itself as again a safe place after … the war in Lebanon and the war on Gaza,” Rapoport told Al Jazeera.

“It combines with the decision yesterday by the Israeli cabinet to enlarge the military operation in Gaza and to summon tens of thousands of reservists to service,” the journalist explained. “So all these events together are a reminder to Israel that the war is far from over and that after 17 months of war Israel is very far from being a safe place.”

Israeli PM Netanyahu, released a video, promising more attacks against the Houthis. In the message, Netanyahu said Israel has acted against the Houthis in coordination with the US.

“We’ve acted against them in the past, and we’ll act against them again in the future. It’s not a ‘one-and-done’ – but there will be blows,” he said.