Houthi Missile Strike Near Tel Aviv Airport Sparks Panic, Leaves Massive Crater; Eight Dead

A missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck near Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on May 4 left a 25-metre-deep gaping crater. The missle strike sent up a plume of smoke leading to panic among the travellers inside the terminal. According to news agency AP, the flights were briefly halted.

In a video released by the military in the aftermath of the strike showed officers stadning at the edge of a crater in an orchard, with the airport's control tower visible in the distance.

The military released a video of the aftermath of the strike showing officers standing at the edge of a crater in an orchard, with the airport's control tower visible in the distance.

"You can see the area just behind us: a crater was formed here, several dozen metres (yards) wide and several dozen metres deep," Yair Hezroni, the police's central district chief could be heard saying as reported by NDTV.

In a statement after the strike, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said: “Whoever harms us will be harmed sevenfold.”

According to news agency Reuters quoting Israeli ambulance service, eight people were being taken to hospital, including a man in a mild to moderate condition with injuries to his limbs and two women in a mild condition with head injuries.

Several attacks have been launched by Houthis on Israel in support of the Palestinians since the beginning of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023. According to middle east eye report, the Israeli army said that warning sirens sounded across the regions of Israel on Sunday morning. It further added that its air defences attempted to intercept the missile fired from Yemen.

After a brief interruption, the airport authorities have resumed resumption.

"Takeoffs and landings have resumed normally. Ben Gurion Airport is open and operational," officials said.

The incident on Sunday comes a day after the Israeli military intercepted another missile fired by the Houthi fighters.\

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