Yemen's Houthis claim new missile attack on Israeli airport

Sanaa, Aug 15 (IANS) Yemen's Houthi armed group has claimed responsibility for a fresh "hypersonic ballistic missile" strike on an airport in Israel.

"The Yemeni armed forces (Houthi armed forces) carried out a qualitative military operation targeting Ben Gurion Airport, using a hypersonic ballistic missile," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on Thursday in a statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"The operation successfully achieved its goal ... and forced millions of Israelis to flee to shelters, as well as halting the airport operations," Sarea added.

The attack is "a victory for the oppressed Palestinian people" and a response to the crimes of genocide and starvation committed by the enemy in the Gaza Strip, he said.

Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli Defense Forces said it had identified a missile flying from Yemen toward Israel, which was intercepted by Israel's aerial defence systems, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Houthis have launched repeated missile and drone attacks against Israel since the Gaza war began in October 2023, sparked by Hamas's attack on Israel, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.

In response, Israel has carried out several air strikes on Yemen, including on the port city of Hodeidah earlier this month.

The Israeli military had said that "following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, one missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted".

Earlier in July 2025, the Houthis resumed deadly attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, targeting ships they accuse of having links to Israel, to force Israel to end the Gaza war.

Yemen's Houthi group said on Wednesday that it launched four drone attacks targeting the Israeli cities of Haifa, Negev, Eilat, and Be'er Sheva.

Using six drones, the attacks "successfully achieved their objectives," the group's military spokesperson Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV on Tuesday.

Sarea said the attacks were carried out in response to Israel's "implementation of its plan to eliminate the Palestinian cause through genocide, starvation, and displacement".

The Houthis, which control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, have been launching attacks against Israeli targets since November 2023 to show solidarity with the Palestinian people amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.

--IANS

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