The Houthis claim a shot against Tel Aviv airport

A missile fell on Tel Aviv International Airport on Sunday after a shot from Yemen, causing a brief interruption of air traffic and threats to Israeli reprisals.

The shot was claimed by Yemen Houthi rebelswho said in a statement “to have targeted Ben -Gurion Airport With a hypersonic ballistic missile that has successfully reached its target ”.

According to an AFP photographer on site, the missile fell into an area planted with trees next to an access ramp for the parking lots of Terminal 3, the most important of the airport, less than a kilometer from the tarmac. But according to Israeli media, police are still trying to determine whether the impact of missile “near the airport was caused by the Yemeni missile or by an Israeli counter-missile.

Attacks claimed by the Houthis

Allies of the Palestinian Islamist Movement Hamas, the Houthis have claimed dozens of missiles and drones against Israel, including shots towards the airport, since the war in Gaza. Almost all of the shots were intercepted.

Sunday morning, alert sirens sounded in several regions of Israel where the anti -aircraft defenses tried to intercept the missile from Yemen according to the army.

A strong detonation, followed by a very powerful reverberation, were heard around 09 h 35 (08 h 35 in Switzerland) inside Terminal 3, noted an AFP journalist. The security staff immediately asked hundreds of passengers to go to the shelters. Strong detonations were also heard in Jerusalem and the surrounding area.

Some injured missile

The emergency services announced that they had taken care of at least six injured, in “light” or “moderate” states, without more precision. “You can see the area just behind us: a crater has been formed there, several tens of meters and also several tens of meters,” said police chief in the center of Israel, Yaïr Hezroni, in a video with the control tower of the airport in the background.

Airport authorities announced in a statement the resumption of air traffic after a brief interruption. “Takeoffs and landings have taken up normally. Ben -Gurion airport is open and operational. ”

Some flights have been canceled and other confused. A flight of Swiss which was to leave from Zurich at 11:50 am towards Tel Aviv was canceled. Air Europe has also announced the abolition of all its flights to Israel, according to the Italian news agency Ansa. A plane ready to take off from Madrid was stopped net. An India air plane from New Dehli has turned around.

“Habit” of missiles in Israel

“It’s crazy to say, but since October 7, we have been used to that,” a passenger at AFP told AFP at the airport, allusion to the unprecedented attack on Hamas Against Israel on October 7, 2023which sparked the war in Gaza.

“A missile can fall apart and life stops for a moment. There was panic at the airport and I myself was frightened because the explosion was strong. But it’s okay now, I’m trying to find another flight, “she added on condition of anonymity.

Threat of response to the missile

Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened to fight back to this shot. “The one who strikes us will be struck seven times harder”. Israel has already carried out several attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen. The Houthis claimed several Saturday and Saturday missile fire on Israel, the Israeli army of which announced the interception.

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