Aden (South24 Center) 

Yemen’s Houthi group announced on Sunday (May 18) that it had carried out two separate attacks on Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport over the past 24 hours using ballistic missiles and a drone, marking a new escalation in what the group calls its campaign to "respond to Israeli aggression in Gaza”.

In a televised statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the latest attack occurred Sunday morning using two ballistic missiles: a ’Palestine-2‘ hypersonic missile and a Zulfiqar missile. He added that on Saturday morning they had carried out a drone strike using a ’Yafa’ drone targeting the same airport.

In response, the Israeli military said its air defenses intercepted a missile fired from Yemen toward central Israel early Sunday, triggering sirens across Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and parts of the occupied West Bank. Emergency services reported that one civilian sustained minor injury while fleeing to a shelter in Bat Yam.

The twin attacks came two days after a Houthi missile strike on Ben Gurion Airport on May 15, which Israeli authorities said caused no direct casualties.

In retaliation, Israel on May 16 conducted wide-scale airstrikes on Hodeidah and Salif ports in western Yemen. Israeli media reported the operation, dubbed ’Red Sunsets’, involved over 15 warplanes and dozens of bombs, targeting Houthi military infrastructure. Israel’s Army Radio estimated the damage to the ports could take over a month to repair.

Since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, the Houthis have intensified attacks on Israeli targets using long-range missiles and drones, terming it as "direct military support for Palestinians”.

Israel accuses the group of acting as part of a coordinated Iranian-backed campaign threatening regional maritime security and Red Sea stability.