Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday echoed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthi terrorists are directed by Iran, vowing a forceful response to the latest strike near Israel’s main international airport.
“President Trump is absolutely right. The Houthi attacks emanate from Iran,” Netanyahu posted on his official X account. “Israel will respond to the attack on Ben-Gurion Airport—and, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters as well.”
A ballistic missile from Yemen struck an open area at the airport early on Sunday, lightly to moderately wounding six people and disrupting flight operations. The attack triggered air-raid sirens across central Israel, including in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley region.
In a March post on Truth Social, Trump had warned Iran over its ties to the Houthi rebels, stating: “Let nobody be fooled! The hundreds of attacks being made by Houthi, the sinister mobsters and thugs based in Yemen, who are hated by the Yemeni people, all emanate from, and are created by, IRAN.”
He added: “Any further attack or retaliation by the ‘Houthis’ will be met with great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there.”
The Iranian-backed Houthis have launched numerous long-range missile and drone attacks against Israeli targets in recent months, including ports, military installations and now the country’s busiest civilian airport.
Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was already taking action in coordination with Washington.
“We are acting against them,” he said, referencing previous Israeli military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. “We have acted in the past, and we will act in the future. I cannot detail everything.
“The U.S., in coordination with us, is also acting against them,” he added. “It’s not a one-and-done, but there will be blows.”