New Yemeni attack targets Israel as airlines extend flight suspensions
Most international airlines suspended their flights to Israel after Sanaa imposed an aerial blockade over the ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza
The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) launched a new ballistic missile attack against Israel on 9 May, setting off alarms across large areas of the country and shutting down operations at Ben Gurion International Airport.
YAF spokesman Brig. General Yahaa Saree confirmed the attack on social media, saying it was conducted “In support of the oppressed Palestinian people and their mujahideen, and in rejection of the crime of genocide perpetrated by the Zionist enemy against our people in the Gaza Strip, and within the implementation of the no-fly zone imposed on the criminal Israeli enemy entity.”
Saree also revealed that the YAF launched a separate military operation “targeting a vital Israeli enemy target” in Tel Aviv using a Yaffa drone.
According to Israeli media, the missile was shot down by the Arrow long-range air defense system after the US THAAD system failed for the second time this week to intercept a Yemeni projectile.
“On Sunday, a THAAD interceptor missed a Houthi missile fired at Israel, while an Arrow interceptor malfunctioned, allowing the projectile to strike Ben Gurion Airport,” the Times of Israel reports.
Sanaa's ongoing military operations in support of Palestinians in Gaza, along with the imposition of an aerial blockade until Israel ceases its ethnic cleansing campaign, have caused over a dozen international airlines to suspend their flights to and from Tel Aviv.
On Friday, Germany's Lufthansa Group extended its suspension of flights to Israel until 18 May. American Airlines, Delta, and United have also canceled their flights to Israel for the foreseeable future.
Other major airlines maintaining their suspension include Aegean Airlines, airBaltic, Air Europa, Air France, KLM, British Airways, Iberia Express, ITA Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Transavia.
“The operation targeting [Ben Gurion] Airport exposed the vulnerability of the Israeli enemy to Yemeni missiles and revealed the failure of both Israeli and US defense systems … From 15 March to 7 May, our support operations totaled over 131, carried out with 253 ballistic, cruise, hypersonic missiles, and drones,” Ansarallah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said during a speech on Thursday.
He also noted that Sunday's strike on Israel's main airfield occurred despite Tel Aviv's “four layers of protection,” including the recently deployed US THAAD missile defense system.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump announced an end to the illegal war against Yemen after Oman successfully mediated a ceasefire deal between Washington and Sanaa. US officials later confirmed that Israel is not included in the truce.
“Israel will defend itself by itself,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday as reports continue to emerge indicating that his relationship with Trump has rapidly deteriorated.