Israel Warns of "Sevenfold Retaliation"
On the morning of the 4th (local time), a missile launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels fell near Ben Gurion International Airport, located near the central Israeli city of Tel Aviv. This marks the first time since the outbreak of the Gaza Strip war that a missile fired by the Houthis has penetrated Israel's air defense network and caused direct damage.
According to the Israeli military, at approximately 9:20 a.m., a missile launched from the direction of Yemen was detected, triggering air raid sirens across the entire central region of Israel. The missile landed on a road near the runway leading to Terminal 3 of the airport, and smoke was seen rising from the site immediately after impact.
The Israeli rescue authorities reported that a total of six people were injured in the attack: a man in his 50s sustained injuries to his arms and legs, and two women were wounded by the shockwave from the explosion. Following the incident, Ben Gurion Airport suspended all takeoffs and landings and restricted access to the airport for about one hour.
The Israeli military officially acknowledged its failure to intercept the missile, stating that multiple interception attempts were made but ultimately the missile could not be stopped. Local media, including The Jerusalem Post, reported that advanced defense systems such as Israel's Arrow-3 and the U.S.-deployed THAAD were unable to prevent the attack.
Immediately after the attack, senior Houthi official Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti appeared on Al-Araby Al-Jadeed television and threatened, "We have demonstrated our ability to strike Israel's key targets," adding, "There are no more red lines." In response, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned of strong retaliation, stating, "Those who seek to harm us will pay sevenfold in return."
The previous day, the Houthis also claimed to have launched a hypersonic ballistic missile targeting a military facility in central Israel, though it was reported that the missile was intercepted at that time.
Since the Gaza Strip war was triggered by Hamas's surprise attack in October 2023, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked civilian vessels in the Red Sea and launched drones and missiles toward Israel, citing support for Palestine as their justification.
In particular, after Israel ended its temporary truce with Hamas and resumed airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in March, the intensity of Houthi attacks has increased. In response, the United States re-designated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in mid-March and carried out airstrikes on approximately 1,000 Houthi strongholds in Yemen.
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