Houthis declare intention to target Israeli civilian planes

The Houthi terror group has vowed to target civilian planes following an escalation in attacks. 

Yesterday a Houthi missile, aiming for Ben Gurion Airport, was successfully intercepted leading to no damage or injuries. However, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) hit two Houthi-controlled ports on Wednesday, adding to the damage done to Yemen’s airport terminals, runways, and several Houthi-owned planes last month.

The Iran-backed terror group has consistently fired missiles from Yemen at Israel over the last month and a half, one of which struck Israel’s airport in Tel Aviv on May 4, leading to the retaliatory attacks on Sanaa airport and infrastructure held by the Houthis. 

Currently millions of Israelis are running to bomb shelters almost every day due to missiles fired from Yemen. At the beginning of the war, rockets were fired with high frequency from Gaza and Lebanon, with some also coming from Yemen. Now that Hamas and Hezbollah have lost most of their military capacity, the Houthis are firing multiple ballistic missiles each week.

A statement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAA) on May 28 reported that “Missile launch frequency remains relatively stable – averaging approximately one missile every two days – with variation week to week. Based on alert areas, it is clear that targeting is dispersed across the country, and not focused solely on Ben Gurion Airport.”

As predicted, the holiday of Shavuot on Monday was interrupted by sirens warning of Houthi missiles across much of central Israel, including Jerusalem and parts of Judea and Samaria (internationally known as the West Bank). Home Front Command is now able to send warnings of imminent attacks several minutes prior to the siren, enabling most Israelis to reach shelter in plenty of time.

Although over 95% of all missiles fired at Israel are intercepted, for the first time since Oct. 7, 2023, one Houthi missile managed to evade Israel’s defense system, landing close to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, and prompting an investigation last month. Six people were lightly injured, and most international airlines began cancelling flights in and out of Israel, leaving travelers temporarily dependent on Israeli airlines El Al, Israir and Arkia.

Before the ceasefire in January, the Houthis had fired over 40 ballistic missiles and dozens of attack drones and cruise missiles according to the Times of Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July. 

The Houthis also targeted over 100 merchant vessels in the Red Sea Corridor between November 2023 and January 2025, sinking two ships and killing four sailors, crippling the trade route which has goods worth approximately $1 trillion passing through each year. Both the Biden and Trump administrations responded with military force, but operations were stopped once the Houthis agreed to stop attacking vessels. 

A Houthi spokesman made the claim to Newsweek last month that they have “new weapons” capable of enforcing an “aerial blockade” on Israel. The rebel group, armed by Iran, shot down at least seven U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones in recent months, the Times of Israel reported.

Since the IDF resumed its offensive against Hamas in March, the Houthis have fired 44 ballistic missiles and at least 10 drones at Israel, and have declared their plans to target planes belonging to El Al and other Israeli civilian carriers, according to a report in Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper on Friday.

According to the Times of Israel, sources from the rebel group told Al-Akhbar, “upcoming operations will differ in quantity and substance from the previous operations” against Israel, saying they plan to “add civilian aircraft belonging to the Israeli entity to the list of targets.”

The probe into the failed interception on May 4 found no faults in the missile detection systems, interception protocols, or IDF Home Front Command alert mechanisms, according to JNS.  The preliminary investigation, led by IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar concluded there had been a “pinpoint technical malfunction” with the Arrow interceptor launched at the missile. The interceptor failure is believed to have been an isolated technical issue.

The latest CAA report states, “All recommended measures following the missile impact in Ben Gurion Airport (LLBG) have been fully implemented. These include: Technical corrections to previously identified malfunctions; Reinforcement of multi-layer defense systems; Updates to interception procedures; Operational adjustments at Ben Gurion Airport; Enhanced coordination protocols between operational units (including the Ben Gurion control tower and the Israeli Air Force operations center).”

The statement continues, “As always, in the event of an early warning or siren, the Israel CAA, Airports Authority, and Air Force maintain a consistent policy of rerouting air traffic from at-risk areas and relocating ground personnel and passengers to protected areas in accordance with operational protocols and real-time circumstances.”

“A joint risk assessment was conducted recently with several leading international airlines. The conclusion remains that the risk at Ben Gurion Airport continues to be effectively mitigated by operational and technical measures taken by authorities and operators.”