Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to retaliate against Houthi forces in Yemen and their ally, Iran, after a missile launched by the group struck Israel's international airport. Writing on the social media platform X, the official account of the Prime Minister's Office stated that "attacks by the Houthis emanate from Iran."

It added that 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." Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu issued another warning to the Houthis, threatening to launch a strike against the group. "We attacked in the past, we will attack in the future," he said in a video statement.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile strike that hit a driveway leading to the main terminal of Ben Gurion Airport, outside Tel Aviv. Israeli and US-deployed aerial defence systems attempted to intercept the missile but failed, Xinhua news agency reported. The attack resulted in four minor injuries and caused damage.

Several international airlines cancelled flights to and from Israel following the missile attack, including Air Europa, Swiss International Air Lines, Lufthansa, ITA Airways, and Brussels Airlines. The Houthis have intensified missile and drone attacks in recent weeks amid renewed US airstrikes on their positions in Yemen.

The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have been targeting Israel since November 2023 in what they describe as an act of solidarity with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza. The group has said it would halt its attacks if Israel ends its military campaign and allows humanitarian aid into the enclave. 

(IANS)