Sirens jolt Israelis out of sleep after Houthi missile targets Ben Gurion airport

Air raid sirens were activated in several regions of Israel on Tuesday morning after a missile was launched from Yemen.

The Israeli military confirmed that it intercepted a missile following activation of warning sirens. However, it said that no casualties or material damage occurred.

Sirens were activated in central and southern Israel, including major cities like Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and many others.

Yahya Saree, a spokesperson for Yemen's Houthis, confirmed the attack, claiming that it “successfully achieved its goal.”

He said that a hypersonic ballistic missile was fired at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, temporarily disrupting flight operations.

Read More: Houthis sink cargo ship in Red Sea bound for Israel, second attack in a week

The missile launch came a day after Houthi forces carried out drone attacks on Israeli sites in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on western Al-Hudaydah port. The Israeli military stated those strikes destroyed significant Houthi military infrastructure.

Houthi attacks on Israel have increased in recent months particularly after Israeli forces resumed military operations in the Gaza Strip in March, following a fragile two-month ceasefire.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have also targeted commercial vessels in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea. The group has said these actions are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where over 59,000 people have reportedly been killed in the ongoing Israeli military campaign.