Tel Aviv, Sep 29 (V7N)— Yemeni armed forces launched a ballistic missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport in Israel's capital, Tel Aviv, on Saturday, as a show of solidarity with Palestinians. The missile strike occurred shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned from the United States, according to reports from Perstoday and Yahoo News.

The attack involved Palestinian-2 ballistic missiles, targeting the airport in retaliation for Israel’s continued aggression in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Yemeni military spokesperson Yahya Sari confirmed the missile strike in a televised address, stating that Yemen would escalate its military operations against Israel if attacks on Gaza and Lebanon persist.

Video footage shared on social media showed sirens sounding at Ben Gurion Airport moments before the missile entered Israeli airspace. Israeli officials, however, claimed that their air defense systems intercepted and neutralized the missile before it could hit its intended target.

The missile attack comes just a day after the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut. Additionally, Yemen’s Houthi rebels had launched two missile strikes on Israel on Friday, signalling the intensifying military activity in the region.

The situation in Gaza has worsened since Hamas launched a major military operation on Israel on October 7 last year. In response, Israel has carried out extensive airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza, leading to the deaths of over 41,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children. More than 100,000 people have been injured.

Yemeni forces, backed by Iran, have declared war against Israel, vowing to continue targeting Israeli commercial and military vessels unless the offensive in Gaza ceases. They have reiterated their support for the Palestinian people, pledging to retaliate against any further Israeli actions in the region.

END/RH/AJ