Missile fired from Yemen lands near Tel Aviv airport

By Nathan Morley

A missile fired from Yemen landed near the main terminal of Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday morning, Israeli officials said.  

Footage posted online appeared to show drivers pulling over and taking cover as the projectile struck, sending up a plume of black smoke near the airport, located outside Tel Aviv. The video has not been independently verified.  

Israeli media reported that four people were injured in the blast, with two others hurt while heading to a shelter.  

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, “Anyone who hits us, we will hit them seven times stronger.”  

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to meet with ministers and defense officials later Sunday to discuss a possible response, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.  

The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen, have regularly fired missiles at Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. It is rare for one to penetrate Israel’s advanced air defenses.  

Meanwhile, humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate.  

On March 2, Israel shut all crossings into the enclave, preventing goods—including food, fuel, and medicine—from entering. Two weeks later, it resumed military operations, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. Israeli officials said the restrictions were intended to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages still being held.  

The United Nations’ World Food Programme and Unrwa, the agency for Palestinian refugees, recently announced they have exhausted their food supplies. 

Amid all this, thousands of Israeli reservists from across the military have signed letters urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to end the fighting and prioritize securing the release of the remaining 59 hostages held by Hamas.

Eighteen months ago, public sentiment in Israel largely supported the war’s goals: defeating Hamas and bringing the hostages home.

The January ceasefire, which saw more than 30 hostages returned, briefly raised hopes that the conflict might soon end.

But those hopes diminished in mid-March when Israel resumed military operations, breaking the ceasefire

International pressure on Israel to lift its blockade has intensified, with warnings that mass starvation could be imminent. Legal experts have said that deliberately depriving civilians of food may constitute a war crime.