Netanyahu vows to retaliate against Houthis and Iran after missile attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate against the Houthis and their Iranian "masters" after the group launched a missile attack on the country's main international airport.

A missile fired by the group from Yemen landed near Ben Gurion Airport, causing panic among passengers in the terminal building. "Attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran," Mr Netanyahu wrote on X.

"Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters." The missile impact left a plume of smoke and briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at the airport. Some international carriers have cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv for several days.

Four people were lightly wounded, paramedic service Magen David Adom said. Air raid sirens went off across Israel and footage showed passengers yelling and rushing for cover.

The attack came hours before senior Israeli cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify the country's military operations in the Gaza Strip, and as the army began calling up thousands of reserves in anticipation of a wider operation in the enclave. Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the airport.

Iran's defence minister later told a state TV broadcaster that if the country was attacked by the US or Israel, it would target their bases, interests and forces where necessary. Israel's military said several attempts to intercept the missile were unsuccessful.

Air, road and rail traffic were halted after the attack, police said, though it resumed around an hour later. In a statement on their Telegram channel, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that the initial inquiry into the fallen missile found the likely cause was a "technical issue with the interceptor launched toward the missile".

Furthermore, the IDF's assessment found "no malfunction" in the detection procedure, interception systems or Homefront Command alert mechanisms. The Houthi group said in a statement that, in response to what it described as an "escalation" of Israeli operations in Gaza, it would now "impose a comprehensive air blockade" on Israel, specifically targeting airports including Ben Gurion Airport.

The group called on international airlines to cancel all flights to Israeli airports to "preserve the safety of their aircraft and their customers". Yemen's Houthis have been firing missiles at Israel since its war with Hamas in Gaza began on 7 October 2023, and while most have been intercepted, some have penetrated the country's missile defence systems and caused damage.

Israel has previously struck the group in Yemen in retaliation and the US and UK have also launched strikes after the Houthis began attacking international shipping, saying it was in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war with Hamas..