Israel reportedly considers resuming air strikes in Yemen after Houthis hit Ben Gurion airport, threaten more to come

An unnamed Israeli official reportedly told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that Israel is considering resuming its military strikes on the Houthis in Yemen after the Iran-backed terror group fired a ballistic missile at Ben Gurion International Airport.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that Israel is considering reversing its current policy of restraint towards the Yemen-based Houthi group.

“We’ve acted against them in the past, and we’ll act again in the future," Netanyahu stated in a video message. "This isn’t a one-and-done, but there will be some big hits.”

The ballistic missile fired by the Houthis on Sunday morning landed close to Ben-Gurion Airport after Israel’s advanced aerial defense systems failed to intercept it. While the impact of the missile was limited, Magen David Adom emergency services reported that several people sustained mild injuries.

Pinchas Idan, chairman of the Airports Authority's Workers' Committee, recalled the highly unusual incident at the airport, noting that it could have resulted in casualties and substantial property damage.

"We all entered the protected areas, there was just a plane that landed. We heard a loud explosion, a crazy boom. It was close to planes parked there – there was a lot of luck here because there was just a plane in the air,” Idan told Ynet News.

The Houthi rebels openly call for Israel’s destruction and have fired hundreds of missiles and drones against the Jewish state since the Iron Swords War began in October 2023. The war was triggered when the Hamas terror group in Gaza invaded Israel's southern border, killing 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping 251 individuals.

Israel initially viewed the Houthis as a peripheral threat and focused on targeting the nearby Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. However, following continued Houthi attacks on Israel, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) began striking Houthi targets in Yemen during the second half of 2024. In its largest operation to date, the IAF targeted multiple Houthi sites, including the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital, Sana’a, and its airport, in December 2024.

Israel has so far not launched any military operations against the Houthis in 2025. This is likely due to reports that U.S. President Donald Trump asked Israel to let the United States deal with the Houthis while Israel focuses on Hamas and Hezbollah.

In March, Trump announced an ongoing U.S. Air Force bombardment campaign against the Houthis.

The U.S. recently estimated that it has struck some 800 Houthi targets since the military campaign began in mid-March. Washington also reported that it has eliminated hundreds of Houthi terrorists.

The Houthis have continued firing missiles at Israel despite intense U.S. bombings of Houthi targets. However, an unnamed Israeli security official dismissed the Houthi threat as largely a nuisance.

"The fact that they are firing does not mean anything," the Israeli official told the Ynet News outlet. The official praised the American military campaign against the Houthis as “effective.”

"The American operation is very effective. Some Houthis still have the ability to launch, but they are not able to launch many missiles at a time. Most of the launches are intercepted or fall on the way – from Israel's perspective, the Houthi threat is like a pesky fly, mostly.”

The official argued that the U.S. strikes in Yemen are substantial.

"The Americans are doing a good job there; we cannot contribute anything there in an attack," arguing that "every day for this month and a half, the American attacks are about 10 times what we can do in Yemen in a year." This assessment stems from the logistical advantage U.S. fighter jets have in reaching Yemen from nearby aircraft carriers, whereas Israeli jets must travel significantly greater distances to strike Houthi targets.

However, Ben Gurion Airport is considered one of Israel’s most critical assets and the Jewish state cannot afford sustained attacks on its main international travel hub.

"Whoever harms us will be struck sevenfold in return," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on Sunday following the Houthi missile attack.

As a result of the attack on the airport, some international airline companies announced that they would suspend all flights to Israel for at least 24 hours.

Senior Houthi official, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, warned international airline companies against flying to Israel.

"We've proven our ability to deal blows to American, British and Israeli prestige. There are no red lines in our conflict with the Zionist entity, the United States and Britain," al-Bukhaiti told Qatar's Al Araby news outlet.

"Our strike on the Ben Gurion airport is proof of our ability to hit fortified targets inside Israel," he added.

Israel estimated in late March that the Houthis only have a few dozen ballistic missiles left in their stockpile. Reports of heavy Houthi losses from ongoing U.S. airstrikes may explain the group's determination to continue launching missiles as long as it retains any operational capability.