Houthis seek ‘air blockade’ by targeting Israel’s airports

The Yemen-based terror organization "calls upon all international airlines to take into consideration" their plans to target Israeli airports.

 Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, delivers a statement claiming attacks on Israel, during a rally by protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen December 20, 2024.  (photo credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)
Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, delivers a statement claiming attacks on Israel, during a rally by protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, to show support to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen December 20, 2024.
(photo credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

The Houthis are working on imposing a “comprehensive air blockade” on Israel by repeatedly targeting the country’s airports, the group said.

Three people were mildly wounded on Sunday as a result of a missile fired by the Yemen-based terrorist group, which crashed in the area of Ben-Gurion Airport’s Terminal 3.

The IDF’s failure to intercept the missile was due to a technical error, military sources told The Jerusalem Post.Houthi military spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Yahya Saree posted on Telegram that the missile strike was in response to Israel’s announcement that it was expanding its operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

This decision to expand operations was agreed upon by the security cabinet on Friday. Several IDF reserve brigades will be mobilized for the operation’s expansion.

Houthis have a message for airlines

The Houthis “call upon all international airlines to take into consideration” their plans to target Israeli airports,” Saree said in his post, recommending that airlines “cancel all scheduled flights to the airports of the criminal enemy to preserve the safety of their aircraft and agents.”

 (Illustrative) Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree over a backdrop of Ben-Gurion International Airport. (credit: Canva Pro, REUTERS, SCREENSHOT/X)
(Illustrative) Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree over a backdrop of Ben-Gurion International Airport. (credit: Canva Pro, REUTERS, SCREENSHOT/X)

As for the security cabinet, it decided to respond to the Houthis after the missile attack at the airport.

Another Israeli source told the Post on Sunday that Israel is considering revising its recent policies on Yemen in its response.

“We’ve acted against them in the past, and we’ll act against them again in the future,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

Yonah Jeremy Bob and Reuters contributed to this report.