July 22, 2025 – Sanaa / Tel Aviv
Houthi forces from Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement claimed responsibility for a missile strike targeting Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, using what they described as a hypersonic ballistic missile named “Palestine-2.”
According to the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Sarea, the strike was part of a “unique military operation” that “successfully hit its target.”
“The missile forces… carried out a special operation targeting Lod Airport (referring to Ben Gurion) with a hypersonic ballistic missile of the ‘Palestine-2’ type,” Sarea said during a broadcast on Al Masirah TV, which is aligned with the Houthis. He claimed that the airport’s operations were suspended as a result of the strike.
However, the Israeli military reported earlier that its air defense forces intercepted a missile launched from Yemen. Air raid sirens were activated in several regions across the country.
The escalation follows an Israeli airstrike on July 21 that targeted the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast. According to the Israel Defense Forces, the strikes were aimed at equipment used to rebuild port infrastructure, fuel tanks, Houthi vessels, and other ships in the area. A Houthi official told AFP that one of the port’s piers was destroyed in the attack.
In retaliation, the Houthis said they launched drone strikes on five targets inside Israel.
The latest exchange marks a significant escalation in the shadow conflict between the Iran-backed Houthi movement and Israel, which has intensified amid ongoing regional instability.
