SANAA, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group on Sunday claimed responsibility for a missile attack near Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel in the morning.
"We targeted Ben Gurion Airport, using a hypersonic ballistic missile that successfully hit its target," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
"American and Israeli defense systems failed to intercept the missile," he said.
In the statement, Sarea noted that the group also launched a drone attack Saturday night aimed at a "vital target" in the city of Ashkelon, southern Israel.
He stressed that the Houthi group would launch more attacks against Israel until "the war against the Gaza Strip stops, and the humanitarian aid is allowed back into the Palestinian enclave."
On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces reported on the social media platform X that sirens sounded across central Israel after a projectile was fired from Yemen. The attack prompted millions of residents to flee to shelters and safe rooms in the morning hours.
Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service reported that a man sustained moderate-to-light injuries in his limbs during the incident, while two women and another man suffered light injuries.
According to a video released by the Israeli police, the explosion caused by the Houthi missile left a crater measuring several meters in depth and width in the vicinity of Ben Gurion Airport. Israel's Airports Authority said takeoffs and landings were suspended for about an hour before operations resumed. ■
