THE Israeli military launched massive airstrikes crippling Yemen's biggest airport after the Houthis attacked Tel Aviv.
The strikes reportedly targeted three civilian airplanes, the departure hall, the airport runway and a military air base under Houthi control.
It came after Israel launched airstrikes in retaliation for a Houthi missile strike the previous day on Israel's international airport.
Israel promised to respond to the devastating strike on the Ben Gurion Airport as Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed: "Whoever harms us, we will strike them sevenfold."
Israeli military says strikes "fully" disabled the country's international airport in capital Sanaa.
The Houthis satellite news channel al-Masirah reported the strikes, confirming the airport had been hit.
Footage aired on Israeli television showed thick black plumes of smoke rising above the skyline of Sanaa.
Social media video purported to show multiple strikes around Sanaa, with black smoke rising as the thumps of the blast echoed against the surrounding mountains.
On Monday night, Israel targeted the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen's Red Sea province of Hodeida, killing at least one person and wounding 35.
The rebels' media office said at least six strikes hit the crucial Hodeida port.
Others hit a cement factory in the district of Bajil, 34 miles northeast of Hodeida, according to the Iran-backed proxy terror group.
The Houthi-run Health Ministry said the strikes killed at least four people and wounded 39 others.
The Houthis on Sunday launched a missile that struck an access road near Israel's main airport near Tel Aviv, briefly halting flights and commuter traffic.
Four people were injured in the missile attack.
A chilling video captured the moment the ballistic missile soared through the sky before exploding as it hit the ground.
The missile blasted a groove near an access road within the airport’s perimeter.
The Israeli Defence Forces confirmed it had made several attempts to intercept the missile but failed to do so.
Israel's powerful Iron Dome is responsible for thwarting enemy missiles before they hit.
Operators across the country work around the clock to fend off relentless attacks and the consistent threat of bombardment from Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
An IDF commander in Israel's south told The Sun last month but it's success rate is as high as 96 per cent - marking today's failure a major blow for Tel Aviv.
The strike marks a major escalation between Israel and both the Houthis in Yemen and Iran.
And National Unity chairman Benny Gantz has even now said the attack must be blamed on Tehran.
The former defence minister said on X: “This is not Yemen, this is Iran. It is Iran that is firing ballistic missiles at the State of Israel, and it must bear responsibility.
“The Israeli government must wake up."
The Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
They are now being viewed as the last member of Iran's self-described Axis of Resistance capable of launching regular attacks on Israel after the IDF destroyed Hezbollah in Lebanon and crippled Hamas in Gaza.
The US military under President Donald Trump has launched an intensified campaign of airstrikes targeting the Houthis since March 15.
Israel has repeatedly struck against the rebels in Yemen. It struck Hodeida and its oil infrastructure in July after a Houthi drone attack killed one person and wounded 10 in Tel Aviv.
In September, Israel struck Hodeida again, killing at least four people after a missile targeted Ben Gurion airport.
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The attack came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was returning to the country.
In December, Israeli strikes killed at least nine people in Hodeida.
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