Houthi Missile Hits Near Tel Aviv Airport, Bypassing Defense Systems
A Houthi missile impacted Israeli territory near Tel Aviv’s primary airport on Sunday, leading several international airlines to halt flights to Israel.
The Israeli Prime Minister pledged to retaliate following the Sunday attack and has scheduled a series of defense meetings. Israeli media outlets report the missile circumvented both Israeli and U.S. missile defense systems.
“We will respond with sevenfold force to anyone who harms us,” stated Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Airlines such as Lufthansa, Swiss, and Air Europa have suspended flights to Israel, with plans to resume operations on Monday.
The missile strike resulted in injuries to at least eight individuals, none of which are life-threatening. Israel has not yet confirmed any specific military response.
Over the weekend, the IDF announced it struck more than 100 terror-related targets in the Gaza Strip, including terrorist cells, tunnels, underground infrastructure, and other military installations.
IDF forces operating in southern Gaza also discovered weapon stockpiles, dismantled numerous terrorist infrastructure sites, and killed several terrorists.
This missile strike occurred days after Israel was compelled to cancel its Independence Day celebrations due to widespread wildfires.
Significant wildfires erupted near Jerusalem on Wednesday, causing road closures and widespread evacuations that effectively brought the country to a standstill. Israel traditionally marks its independence with a torch-lighting ceremony, but instead broadcast a recording of the ceremony rehearsal.
Jerusalem District Fire Department Commander Shmulik Friedman told reporters on Wednesday that the wildfires could be “the largest fire ever in the country” and cautioned that strong winds could worsen the situation later in the day. He also indicated that Israel was “far from control” of the fires.
David Spector and Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.