Houthis launch missile at Israeli airport, vowing to continue Gaza support

Yemen’s Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for launching a ballistic missile towards Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, in retaliation for Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza.

The strike, which occurred on June 1, prompted air raid sirens across central Israel and briefly halted operations at the country’s main international airport, Caliber.Az reports, citing Middle Eastern media.

“Our operations will not stop until the war on our brothers in Gaza stops and the complete siege on them is lifted,” the group said in a statement.

The attack was also confirmed by Houthi spokesman Yahya Saria, who said: "The missile forces <…> carried out a military operation, during which they attacked the airport using a hypersonic ballistic missile," he said.

According to Saria, strikes were also carried out on three more targets in Israel.

As of June 1, Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 54,381 Palestinians and wounded 124,054, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

On the same day, the Gaza Government Media Office updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.

By Khagan Isayev