TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to retaliate against Houthi rebels from Yemen and their backers from Iran. This comes after the militant group attacked Israel's main airport, injuring six people and leading several major airlines to suspend flights.
The attack took place just hours before the Israeli military confirmed the calling up of "tens of thousands" of reserve troops to expand the 19-month war in Gaza against Palestinian Hamas fighters.
The military confirmed that the attack, which created a large crater near Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, was launched from Yemen and had taken place despite “several attempts... to intercept the missile.”
In a video published on Telegram and reported by Arab News, Netanyahu said Israel had "acted against" the Iran-backed group in the past and "will act in the future."
“It will not happen in one bang, but there will be many bangs,” Netanyahu said, without elaborating further.
Later on Sunday, Netanyahu wrote that Israel would also respond to Iran at "a time and place of our choosing."
A police video shows officers standing at the edge of a gaping hole with a control tower in the background. No damage to airport infrastructure was reported.
Police reported the “missile impact” at Israel's main international gateway. A photographer said the missile struck near the Terminal 3 parking lot, the largest airport terminal. The crater was only hundreds of meters from the runway.
Missile Inside Airport
“You can see the area just behind us: a crater was formed here, several dozen meters wide and several dozen meters deep,” said Yair Hezroni, head of Israel's central police, in the video.
A military spokesman said this is the first time a missile has directly hit inside the airport perimeter.
Prior to this, the Houthi, who said they were acting to support Palestinians in Gaza being genocided by Israel, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The group said their forces “carried out a military operation targeting Ben Gurion airport” with a "hypersonic ballistic missile."
Israeli Defense Minister Katz threatened a strong response, saying, “Anyone who hits us, we will hit them seven times stronger.”
Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters then hailed the airport attack.
The Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said it had treated at least six people with light to moderate injuries.
During the attack, a journalist at the airport said he heard a "loud bang" around 9:35 a.m. local time, adding that “reverberation was very strong.”
“Security staff immediately asked hundreds of passengers to take shelter, some in bunkers,” the journalist said. “Many passengers are now waiting for their flights to take off, and others are trying to find alternative flights.”
An airport official said an incoming Air India flight was diverted to Abu Dhabi.
The airline was one of several that suspended Tel Aviv flights until Tuesday, along with Italy's ITA Airways and the German Lufthansa Group, which includes Austrian, Eurowings, and SWISS.
Air France announced flight cancellations on Sunday. The Houthi, who control much of Yemen, have fired missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping during the Gaza genocidal campaign.
Israel broke a ceasefire across Gaza on March 18 and has imposed a total blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza since March 2.
At least 52,535 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli genocidal campaign since October 2023, the Health Ministry said on Sunday, as reported by Anadolu.
A ministry statement said 40 people had been killed in Israeli attacks in the enclave in the last 24 hours, while 125 others were wounded, bringing the total number of injured to 118,491 in Israeli attacks.
At least 57 Palestinians have died of starvation in Gaza as Israel's blockade of food, water, and essential aid to the besieged enclave entered its third month amid relentless bombing.
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