The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) announced on Thursday that they carried out a missile strike targeting the Ben Gurion Airport, east of Tel Aviv, in response to what “the crime of starvation and thirst” imposed on Gaza, and recent Israeli strikes on the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon.

Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the YAF, said the missile used in the operation was a Palestine-2, a hypersonic ballistic missile, marking the 46th Yemeni missile fired at Israeli targets since the renewal of the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Saree confirmed that the attack achieved its pre-set objective of forcing the shutdown of air traffic at the airport and sending millions of settlers to flee to bomb shelters.

“This operation comes in victory for the oppressed Palestinian people and their Resistance fighters, and in response to the Zionist enemy’s crimes in Gaza and its aggression against Beirut’s southern suburb,” Saree declared in a televised statement.

Read more: Foreign airlines halt Tel Aviv flights after Yemeni missile strike

A message to Gaza, and the region

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Yemen targets Ben Gurion Airport in defense of Gaza

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Saree’s statement was loaded with expressions of solidarity with Gaza, as the Israeli military campaign and aid blockade policy remain in action.

“The Yemeni people, their faithful leadership, and their fighting army stand with you… until the aggression is stopped and the siege lifted,” Saree said, addressing Palestinians in Gaza directly.

He extended salutations to the families of Gaza’s martyrs, wounded, and prisoners, describing the besieged enclave as “the front line of dignity and honor for the entire Islamic nation.”

The YAF’s operation coincided with "Israel" launching a series of airstrikes on the southern suburb of Beirut, claiming to have hit drone production sites, in the heavily populated residential area. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the Israeli aggression, timed on the eve of Eid al-Adha, urging international action.

Read more: Yemen strikes Ben Gurion Airport with ballistic missile for Gaza

Fifth month of long-range operations

The YAF has maintained an active role in supporting Palestine and Lebanon since November 2023, launching dozens of long-range drone and missile strikes against Israeli military and commercial assets.

The operation signals the continuation of Yemen’s strategic shift from maritime interdictions in the Red Sea to deeper strikes inside occupied Palestine, after forcing the United States to halt its aggression on the country itself.

Read more: Yemen pushes US Navy to limits with advanced drone, missile war: WSJ