Tel Aviv — In a stark escalation of regional warfare, Yemen’s Ansar Allah forces launched a hypersonic missile targeting Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, forcing an immediate shutdown of all incoming and outgoing flights in Tel Aviv. The missile, reportedly a newly developed weapon known as “Palestine-2,” marks a significant technological leap in Yemen’s military capability and serves as a chilling message of solidarity with the people of Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing bombardment of the besieged territory.
The impact near the airport triggered emergency sirens and widespread panic across central Israel, with footage circulating online showing crowds rushing to shelters. While Israeli military sources initially claimed the missile was intercepted, eyewitnesses reported a large explosion and heavy smoke near runway terminals. The launch comes just days after Yemen fired two similar missiles at the airport, suggesting a clear strategy to cripple Israel’s civilian infrastructure and deliver a psychological blow to its population.
This latest strike is the third in a series of missile attacks from Yemen on Israeli territory in just over 48 hours. The frequency and precision of these strikes raise alarming questions about how such high-speed projectiles have managed to bypass Israel’s sophisticated Iron Dome and Arrow systems. The lack of an effective countermeasure has triggered renewed fears about Israeli vulnerability to asymmetric warfare, particularly from non-state actors aligned against its occupation of Palestinian lands.
Yemen’s Supreme Political Council has repeatedly stated that as long as the genocide in Gaza and Israeli war crimes continue with US and Western backing, retaliatory operations will intensify. Analysts suggest this is no longer symbolic resistance—it is calculated and coordinated military pressure, leveraging missile advancements to expose Israel’s overreliance on Western defense assurances. The strike also underscores the growing influence of the Iran-aligned axis across the region, from Lebanon and Iraq to Yemen, all now converging militarily against Israel.
The ramifications for regional air traffic are severe. Airlines have diverted Tel Aviv-bound flights, and aviation regulators across Europe have issued new advisories over eastern Mediterranean airspace. The Israeli public, accustomed to aerial superiority and relative security, now finds itself under direct threat from what was once considered a marginal actor. For Tel Aviv, this isn’t just about defending borders—it’s about grappling with a paradigm shift in modern warfare.
The hypersonic missile strike was confirmed by Yemen’s military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, who said the “Palestine-2” missile successfully hit its intended target, disrupting Israeli airport operations. According to Tehran Times, this attack forms part of a broader regional response to Israel’s aggression in Gaza and reflects a growing willingness among resistance forces to target Israeli infrastructure beyond traditional battlegrounds.
