Earlier on Friday, the Yemeni Houthi group announced that it had targeted Ben Gurion International Airport, the main airport in central Israel, with a hypersonic ballistic missile and "successfully hit the target." Tel Aviv claimed to have intercepted the missile.
This is the second missile the Houthis have claimed to have fired toward Israel since Israel launched extensive airstrikes on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, last Sunday, including a bombing of its international airport. According to the group's announcement, the missiles killed seven civilians and injured 94 others.
Although Tel Aviv claimed to have intercepted the missile and that it caused no casualties, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz threatened to "respond forcefully" to it.
Security sources told Yedioth Ahronoth that "there will be no restrictions" on Israeli actions against the Houthis in Yemen.They added, "Iran, too, will not emerge clean from the confrontation," suggesting an intention to target it in response to Houthi missiles, which Tel Aviv claims are "Iranian."
The sources said that Israel will "respond forcefully and more broadly" to the ongoing Houthi attacks, the latest of which was the ballistic missile launched on Friday.
Sources indicated that "Tel Aviv is now considering options to strike direct targets in Iran, as well as intensifying attacks on missile launch pads and infrastructure in Yemen."
The year 2024 witnessed an unprecedented escalation in the direct confrontation between Iran and Israel, with the two countries exchanging four direct attacks since April of that year, in response to Israel's targeting of the Iranian consulate in Damascus and its assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
The Houthis' launch of a new missile on Friday has escalated criticism of the government's handling of the Yemen crisis.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called for "expanding strikes inside Yemen" and "targeting the country's infrastructure and ports," in addition to "eliminating Iranian experts present there." He criticized the Israeli prime minister, describing his position as "hesitant and fearful."
Following the rocket launch on Friday, millions of Israelis rushed to shelters as air raid sirens sounded across large areas of the central part of the country. Air traffic was also temporarily halted at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
Lufthansa Group also announced the extension of its suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv until May 18.
Companies in this group include: Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings.
Several international airlines have suspended flights to Tel Aviv since Sunday, for varying periods, after a missile fired from Yemen fell near Ben Gurion Airport, which serves flights to approximately 100 global destinations.
This coincided with the Houthi group's announcement of an air blockade of Israel in response to its expanding genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The Houthis say they are launching missiles at Israel in support of Palestinians in Gaza, and will continue to do so as long as Tel Aviv continues its war of extermination in Gaza.
With full American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 172,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.
Last Sunday, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire agreement with the Houthis, following mediation led by the Sultanate of Oman. This announcement was described in Israel as "surprising," but the Houthis emphasized that the agreement with Washington does not include Israel.