Israel claims Houthi missile landed outside its territory

ANKARA

The Israeli army claimed Thursday that a missile fired from Yemen had landed in an open area outside its borders.

In a statement on the US social media company X, the military said that “a missile launched from Yemen fell in an open area outside the territory of the State of Israel.”

The army added that the strike had not triggered air-raid sirens.

On Wednesday, Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was briefly shut down after a missile strike was launched from Yemen, according to the Israeli army and media.

Separately, Yemen’s Houthi group said Thursday that it had carried out a “special military operation” targeting Ben Gurion Airport with a ballistic missile.

In a statement, the Houthi armed forces said they launched a “ballistic missile” at the airport, adding that it “reached its target precisely.”

The Yemeni Houthi group intensified missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets after an Israeli attack last Thursday that killed 12 top officials, including the group's prime minister and nine Cabinet ministers.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched missile and drone strikes on Israeli targets and targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea in support of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 63,700 people have been killed in an Israeli genocidal war.