Daijiworld Media Network - Sanaa
Sanaa, Mar 20: Yemen's Houthi forces have claimed responsibility for launching a long-range ballistic missile attack on Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv early Thursday.
In a statement aired on Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, military spokesperson Yahya Sarea declared the operation a success. "The missile force executed a precision military strike on Ben Gurion Airport using a hypersonic ballistic missile, effectively reaching its intended target," he announced.
Sarea also stated that Houthi forces launched another assault on the USS Harry Truman in the northern Red Sea—marking the fifth such attack since Saturday. The strike reportedly involved ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones.
According to Sarea, the attack was carried out in retaliation for intensified airstrikes on civilian sites in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and northern provinces. These air raids followed an announcement by US President Donald Trump on Saturday, in which he confirmed the resumption of US-led airstrikes against the Houthis in an effort to halt their assaults on Israeli cities, Israeli ships, and US naval forces in the Red Sea.
Neither Israeli nor US officials have commented on the Houthi claims, according to Xinhua news agency.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported intercepting a missile launched from Yemen early Thursday. The missile triggered air raid sirens across central and southern Israel, including Tel Aviv.
In an official statement, the IDF confirmed that the Israeli Air Force successfully intercepted the missile before it entered Israeli airspace. The sirens, the statement noted, were activated as part of standard security protocols.
The latest Houthi offensive marks an escalation in hostilities following the breakdown of a two-month ceasefire in Gaza. Israeli airstrikes in response have resulted in over 400 casualties in the enclave.
On Tuesday, Houthi forces claimed to have launched a ballistic missile at a military base in southern Israel. The Israeli military confirmed intercepting the projectile before it breached Israeli airspace.
As tensions continue to mount, the conflict shows no signs of de-escalation.