Saturday, March 29, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stern warning on Sunday, declaring that retaliation for the latest Houthi missile strike near Ben Gurion Airport will not be a “one-and-done” response. His statement came after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a ballistic missile that narrowly missed one of Israel’s most sensitive air travel hubs.
In a video shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel had already taken action against the Houthis and will continue to do so. “We have acted in the past, and we will act in the future. It’s not a one-and-done. There will be blows,” he asserted. He also confirmed that the United States, in coordination with Israel, is taking parallel measures against the group.
According to Israel’s Defence Forces (IDF), the missile slipped past four layers of air defence, including the U.S.-manufactured THAAD system and Israel’s indigenous Arrow system, before landing just 75 meters from Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport. The impact created a 25-meter deep crater near an access road and sent plumes of smoke into the air, triggering panic among terminal passengers. Fortunately, terminal infrastructure was not directly hit.
At least eight people sustained injuries in the strike, as confirmed by Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service.
The Houthis quickly claimed responsibility. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that the missile attack was a show of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, warning that Israel’s main airport is “no longer safe for air travel.”
Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz echoed Netanyahu’s sentiments, vowing severe retaliation: “Whoever harms us, we’ll harm them sevenfold.” The IDF and intelligence agencies have launched a full-scale investigation into how the missile evaded Israel’s layered defence systems.
The missile strike coincides with Israeli ministers moving closer to expanding the military offensive in Gaza, which resumed in March after a two-month truce. Efforts to broker another ceasefire have stalled. In parallel, U.S. President Donald Trump had previously ordered extensive airstrikes against the Houthis to curb their missile capabilities and protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The Houthis began targeting Israel and Red Sea trade routes in late 2023 amid the Israel-Hamas war. With Sunday’s missile breach, the regional conflict shows signs of escalating beyond Gaza, pulling in actors from Yemen and drawing sharper U.S.-Israel military coordination.
