A missile fired by Yemen’s Housthi rebels towards Israel on Sunday fell near Ben Gurion airport, the country’s main international airport, launching a smoke column in the air and causing panic among passengers at the terminal.
The Yemen, aligned Houthis to Iran, who claimed responsibility for the missile attack, recently intensified the missile launches against Israel, saying that they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
A senior Israeli police commander, Yair Hetzroni, showed reporters a crater caused by the impact of the missile, which, according to airport officials, fell beside a road near the parking lot of Terminal 3.
“You can see the scene just behind us here, a hole that opened with a diameter of dozens of meters and also dozens of meters deep,” said Hetzroni, adding that there was no significant damage.
In a statement after the attack, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said, “Whoever harms us will be harmed seven times more.”
Israel’s 12 News Channel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would meet with security ministers and defense authorities on Sunday to discuss an answer.
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Most Yemen’s missile releases were intercepted by Israel’s antimysis defense systems, except for an attack that hit Tel Aviv last year. The military said they were investigating what happened with Sunday’s launch, which made Sirens activated throughout the center of Israel, including near the great town of Tel Aviv.
A Reuters reporter at the airport, located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, heard Sirens and saw passengers reacting to safe rooms.
Several people at the airport posted videos filmed on smartphones showing a clearly visible black smoke column, behind parked aircraft and airport buildings. THE Reuters did not check the videos.
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The Israeli ambulance service said eight people were being taken to the hospital, including a moderate man with a moderate injuries to members and two light -wound women with head injuries.
