The Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, claimed responsibility, saying the attack was in support of Palestinians amid ongoing conflict in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged a response, stating in a video message that Israel had struck before and would do so again.

Police officials displayed the crater created by the missile, which landed near a road near the Terminal 3 parking area. The airport is situated near Tel Aviv, one of Israel’s major cities. A senior police officer described the crater as several meters wide and deep, though no major structural damage was reported.

Israeli news outlets reported that Netanyahu was set to meet with top security and defense officials later to discuss how to respond.

While Israel’s air defenses have intercepted most of the projectiles fired from Yemen, this missile was among the few to make it through. A drone strike from Yemen previously hit Tel Aviv last year. The Israeli military said it detected the launch at around 9:18 a.m. local time and attempted several interceptions before confirming the missile struck near the airport.

Footage captured by bystanders showed smoke rising behind airport buildings and grounded aircraft, while photos showed debris scattered across a nearby road. Emergency services reported that eight individuals were treated for minor to moderate injuries.

A spokesperson for the Houthi military declared that the airport was no longer safe for air travel. In response, some airlines—among them Lufthansa, Delta, ITA Airways, and Air France—canceled upcoming flights to and from Tel Aviv, citing safety concerns.

Airport authorities later confirmed that normal flight operations had resumed after brief disruptions to air traffic and access routes.

The missile strike coincided with reports that Israeli officials were nearing approval for expanding military activity in Gaza. The renewed assault on Gaza began in March after a temporary ceasefire ended, prompting a rise in attacks from the Houthis.

International efforts to restore a ceasefire have seen limited progress. In March, former U.S. President Donald Trump authorized extensive airstrikes against Houthi targets, aiming to curb their operations and protect commercial vessels in the Red Sea. These airstrikes have reportedly caused significant casualties in Yemen.

The Houthis began targeting Israeli territory and Red Sea maritime routes in late 2023, shortly after war broke out between Israel and Hamas. The conflict began following deadly Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel in October 2023, which left over 1,200 Israelis dead and hundreds taken hostage. In response, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has led to over 52,000 Palestinian deaths and widespread destruction.

According to Houthi health ministry spokesperson Anees Alsbahi, the airstrikes resulted in at least 53 fatalities, with five children and two women among the deceased. Additionally, 98 individuals were reported injured, as stated by Alsbahi on social media.

The Houthis, an armed group that has controlled much of Yemen for the past decade, have carried out numerous attacks on maritime vessels off their coast since November 2023, disrupting global trade. In response, the U.S. has launched operations to intercept missiles and drones, depleting its air defense resources.

U.S. officials indicated that these airstrikes may continue for several weeks, coinciding with an increased U.S. effort to impose sanctions on Iran while seeking to engage the country in nuclear negotiations.

In response to the ongoing U.S. attacks, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi declared on Sunday that the group would continue targeting U.S. ships in the Red Sea as long as the U.S. military operations in Yemen persisted. “If they continue their aggression, we will continue the escalation,” he stated in a televised address.

The Houthi political bureau condemned the U.S. airstrikes as a “war crime,” and Russia called for an immediate cessation of these attacks.

The Houthis’ military spokesperson also claimed, without providing evidence, that they had launched a second attack on the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, Israel has weakened much of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” in the Middle East, which includes groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas, challenging U.S. influence in the region. Significant figures within Hamas and Hezbollah have been killed, and the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad in December further weakened Iran’s position in the region. Despite these developments, the Houthis and other pro-Iran militias in Iraq remain resilient and active.

The Houthis also warned last week that they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels transiting the Red Sea if Israel did not lift its blockade on humanitarian aid entering Gaza. Following the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hamas in late 2023, the Houthis launched numerous attacks on shipping in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.