On 4 May 2025, the Houthi movement in Yemen fired a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv, Israel, hitting the perimeter of the main terminal of Ben Gurion Airport while leaving a crater and damaging a road and a vehicle. The Israeli defense system failed to shoot down the missile, despite several attempts to intercept it. As a result, eight people were injuredâÂÂtwo of whom were injured on their way to a shelter. The attack caused air traffic to stop and several major airlines to cancel their flights for a few days. The Israel Airports Authority said the attack was the first time a missile landed so close to Israel's main airport.
Since October 2023, the Houthis had been targeting shipping in the Red Sea and launching ballistic missile and drone attacks on Israeli citiesâÂÂincluding a successful drone attack on Tel Aviv in July 2024âÂÂin solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war. The group halted their attacks following the January 2025 ceasefire, but resumed them as soon as Israel broke the truce. In March 2025, the United States, under the Trump administration, launched large-scale aerial and naval strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
In the morning of 4 May, at around 9:30 a.m. IST, a Houthi hypersonic ballistic missileâÂÂwhich the Houthis claim to have stealth technology, a range of , and a speed sixteen times the speed of soundâÂÂwas launched at Tel Aviv. Despite several Israeli attempts to intercept it using the advanced U.S.-made THAAD system and its Arrow defense system, it ultimately failed to shoot down the missile. The missile landed near the main terminal of Ben Gurion Airport, leaving a huge crater while damaging a road and a vehicle. Eight Israelis were injured. Footage showed drivers on a road pulling over as the missile landed, creating a plume of black smoke near the airport. The Israel Defense Forces blamed "a technical issue with the interceptor launched toward the missile" for the successful Houthi missile, although it stated that it found "no malfunction" in the detection procedure.
The attack resulted in the brief suspension of flights at the airport, with some having to be redirected. All entrances to the airport were closed temporarily while train journeys were stopped. Several major airlines announced they were canceling their flights for a few days, including British Airways, Lufthansa, Air Europa, Air France, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Ryanair, and Wizz Air.
Military affairs analyst for Israel's Army Radio, Amir Bar Shalom, said the missile attack was "very accurate if youâÂÂre launching from 2,000 kilometers, itâÂÂs impressive," and that "you have to take this threat seriously."
The day following the attack, the Israeli Air Force began bombing targets in Hodeidah with more than 30 aircraft, attacking nine Houthi targets using approximately 50 munitions. Among the attack targets was the Bajil Cement Factory east of the city. Reports from Yemen indicated there were dead and wounded at the cement factory. Houthi-linked media reported two people were killed and 42 others were injured. According to an Israeli security source: "We destroyed Hodeidah port and concrete factories that were used for manufacturing weapons." The following day, Israel bombed Sanaa International Airport, effectively disabling it.