Yemen’s Houthis claim ballistic missile attack at central Israel

Sanaa, March 22 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA ) Yemen’s Houthi group said on Saturday it had launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, an assault the Israeli military said was intercepted late on Friday. “In support of the Palestinian people, we targeted Ben Gurion Airport using a hypersonic ballistic missile,” a Houthi military spokesperson said in a statement broadcast by the group’s al-Masirah TV. The spokesperson described the attack as the third operation against Israel in 48 hours and warned airlines that the airport was now unsafe. “It will remain so until the aggression against Gaza stops and the blockade is lifted,” he said. On Friday, the Houthis had claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile attack on southern Tel Aviv, a Houthi military spokesperson said in a televised statement. The Houthis also said they had carried out a sixth attack on US naval forces in the northern Red Sea since March 15, launching several drones at warships escorting the USS Harry S. Truman. “Over the past few hours, the American enemy launched several air raids on multiple provinces in a failed attempt to stop us from supporting the oppressed Palestinian people in Gaza,” the spokesperson said, Xinhua news agency reported. There were no reports of casualties. In response, the US military has resumed air attacks on Houthi targets, claiming its campaign aims to protect international shipping. The new round of US airstrikes has killed dozens of people, according to Houthi-run health authorities. The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, have been fighting against the internationally-recognised government. The group controls a large swath of the country, including the strategic Hodeidah port and the capital Sanaa, after a civil war broke out in 2014. Tensions between the Houthis and the US military have escalated since Washington launched fresh airstrikes on Yemen on March 15. The strikes followed Houthi threats to resume attacks on Israeli targets unless humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza. – Israel