Yemen’s Ansar Allah claims it targeted Ben Gurion Airport with ‘Palestine-2’; Israel says missile was intercepted but tensions spike across region
The Houthis just took the Gaza war to a new altitude.
In a televised address Monday, Yemen’s Houthi-led military announced the launch of a hypersonic ballistic missile named Palestine-2, aimed squarely at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport. The strike, which General Yahya Saree said was retaliation for what he called the “storming” of Al-Aqsa Mosque, triggered immediate air raid alerts and forced thousands into shelters across Tel Aviv and surrounding areas.
Israeli officials later said the missile was intercepted mid-flight and caused no casualties. But even without damage, the symbolic impact was massive. It marked the first confirmed use of a hypersonic missile by the Iran-backed Houthis—and it raised new questions about the group’s military capabilities and regional ambitions.
A New Missile, A New Message
The Houthis didn’t just launch any rocket. Palestine-2 is a name they want people to remember.
General Saree, speaking in his usual fatigues from a dimly lit room somewhere in Sana’a, claimed the missile “struck near the runways” of Ben Gurion Airport. He said the attack was designed to send a message—not just to Israel, but to Arab governments seen as normalizing ties with it.
Hypersonic missiles travel at speeds greater than Mach 5. If the Houthis really have that tech, and if they can aim it with even moderate precision, it puts a wide swath of the Middle East within striking range—at terrifying velocity.
Israel Downplays, But Scrambles Jets
Israeli authorities were quick to push back.
An IDF spokesperson said the projectile was “successfully intercepted” and caused “no physical or infrastructural damage.” Still, multiple flight tracking services reported temporary disruptions over central Israel, including diverted landings at Ben Gurion and a brief airspace closure.
Local media outlets showed footage of people rushing into bomb shelters in Herzliya and Holon, with some Tel Aviv residents reporting sonic booms overhead.
One woman, who asked not to be named, told Channel 12 News:
“We’re used to sirens, but this felt different. Faster. Louder. It shook the building.”
Meanwhile, Israeli fighter jets reportedly scrambled toward the eastern Mediterranean, though there was no confirmation of a retaliatory strike as of Tuesday morning.
Hypersonics: Once Science Fiction, Now Battlefield Reality
Until recently, hypersonic missiles were the kind of thing you saw in Cold War fiction—experimental toys of superpowers.
Now they’re a very real part of modern warfare.
Russia used one in Ukraine. China flaunted one near Taiwan. The U.S. has tested multiple systems in the Pacific. But the Houthis? If verified, this would mark the first use of a hypersonic weapon by a non-state actor.
It raises a chilling question: who gave it to them?
Military analysts say the most likely answer is Iran, which has already paraded its own Fattah-1 hypersonic missile. Tehran has denied direct involvement in previous Houthi attacks, but the technical fingerprints on this one might be hard to hide.
Missile Politics: Gaza, Al-Aqsa, and the Red Line
The timing of this strike was no coincidence.
Just 24 hours earlier, Israeli far-right activists, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, entered the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem. It wasn’t the first time, but it came amid rising Palestinian death tolls in Gaza and mounting anger across the Arab world.
The Houthis framed their missile launch as direct retaliation.
It was, in their words, a response to “provocations against Islam’s third holiest site.”
That’s a phrase they’ve used before. But this time, they backed it with a weapon that could change the regional military calculus.
Missiles, Proxies, and a War with No Borders
Let’s take stock of where things stand:
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Gaza is in ruins. Over 30,000 killed since October, per UN estimates.
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Hezbollah is launching drones weekly across Israel’s northern border.
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The Houthis have turned the Red Sea into a naval minefield for global shipping.
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Now, Tel Aviv is under direct threat from a hypersonic-capable actor in Yemen.
The war is no longer just about Gaza. It’s sprawling. It’s messy. And it’s being fought in the skies, on shipping lanes, and in cyberspace.
Even U.S. bases in the region are on high alert. CENTCOM officials said Tuesday morning they’re “closely monitoring” missile activity in Yemen and remain in “constant contact with Israeli counterparts.”
Regional Reactions Start Pouring In
The reaction across the Middle East was split down the usual lines.
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Iran praised the strike, with state media calling it “a heroic escalation.”
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Saudi Arabia condemned it, warning that “reckless regional militarization threatens all civilians.”
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Egypt remained silent—perhaps not wanting to be dragged deeper into a fight it’s trying to mediate from afar.
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The UAE issued a cautious statement urging “de-escalation and restraint.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department called the missile launch “deeply destabilizing,” adding that “military support to proxy actors continues to threaten peace efforts.”
But peace, for now, feels like a distant dream.
