A missile fired from Yemen landed near the main terminal of Israel’s Ben Gurion airport on Sunday morning, Israeli authorities said.
Unverified footage posted online appeared to show drivers on a road nearby pulled over to take cover as a projectile lands, creating a plume of black smoke near the airport, which is on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
Four people were injured by the blast, with another two injured on their way to a shelter, Israeli media reported, citing emergency services.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said in a statement: “Anyone who hits us, we will hit them seven times stronger”.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement that the Israeli airport was “no longer safe for air travel”.
The airport has now reopened to flights, after temporarily halting them.
Sirens were activated in several parts of the country as the missile approached – and the Israeli Air Force said it was investigating the failure to intercept it.
Senior Israeli police commander Yair Hetzroni showed journalists a crater caused by the impact of the missile, which airport authorities said had landed beside a road near a Terminal three parking lot.
“You can see the scene right behind us here, a hole that opened up with a diameter of tens of metres and also tens of metres deep,” Hetzroni said, adding that there was no significant damage.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet ministers and defence officials on Sunday to discuss a response, Israel’s Channel 12 News said.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group based in Yemen, have regularly launched missile attacks at Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza, but it is rare for one to make it through Israel’s sophisticated air defences.
The group have also been carrying out attacks on ships in the Red Sea, which the US has responded to by leading a bombing campaign against it – which the UK has assisted in.
By BBC News
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