Tensions in the Middle East escalated sharply as Israel launched airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port early Monday, following a missile attack by Iran-backed Houthi rebels that landed dangerously close to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Dramatic visuals from the scene showed a massive fireball lighting up the night sky, with plumes of smoke rising from the targeted port area—Yemen’s largest and most strategic Red Sea port.
The Israeli response came just a day after a missile launched from Houthi-controlled territory evaded Israel’s advanced air defense systems and landed near its busiest airport.
❗️ Frightening footage shows MASSIVE scale of Israeli airstrikes on Yemen
— RT (@RT_com) May 5, 2025
Apocalyptic fires rage
Smoke clouds tower into the sky https://t.co/ekjP7RuRXH pic.twitter.com/ce9MCPN6Yl
This marks the first missile from Yemen to evade interception since the Houthis began targeting Israel earlier this year in what they claim is a show of solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
“We will respond forcefully to any attack against our citizens,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, vowing retaliation after the near-miss at Ben Gurion Airport.
The Houthis have regularly targeted Israeli territory and international shipping lanes in the Red Sea since late 2023, escalating regional instability. While most of their drones and missiles have been intercepted, Sunday’s strike raised alarms over potential vulnerabilities in Israel’s Iron Dome and other missile defense systems.
❗️ MOMENT Netanyahu’s warplanes bomb Yemen https://t.co/lRayeCTZZs pic.twitter.com/1Es0Jx9v24
— RT (@RT_com) May 5, 2025
In response to the Israeli strike, Houthi leaders have threatened to impose what they described as a “comprehensive aerial blockade” on Israel. In a bold statement issued late Sunday, the group announced plans to repeatedly target Israeli airports, with Ben Gurion Airport identified as their primary target.
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Their Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center, a body formed to liaise with commercial shippers, circulated a stark warning to the international aviation community. The Houthis claimed to have sent an official notice to both the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
“We call on all international airlines to take this warning seriously and immediately cancel all flights to airports in the criminal Israeli entity to ensure the safety of their passengers and aircraft,” the Houthi statement read.
This latest round of escalation highlights the growing danger of the Israel-Hamas war spreading deeper into regional conflict, drawing in proxy actors and threatening key international shipping and aviation routes.
As global airlines, diplomats, and security analysts monitor the situation closely, questions remain over how far this conflict could expand—and what repercussions it might have on global trade, travel, and regional alliances.
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