After what the Israeli military described as “several attempts” at interception, flights at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv were paused for approximately 30 minutes on Sunday morning due to a missile landing close to the airport.
“The results of the interception are under review,” the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.
Bar Shalom mentioned that Iran is working on developing long-range missiles that can maneuver to avoid air defenses, but it is uncertain if this advanced technology has been shared with the Houthis.
The military plans to scrutinize every aspect of the failed interception tries, from the moment sensors picked up the incoming missile to the systems that identified it and how near the interceptors got to the missile.
“There are so many parameters that may be relevant to the result that have to be analysed,” he said.
The Palestinian militant group Hamas praised the attack, calling Yemen “the twin of Palestine, as it continues to defy the most brutal forces of oppression, refusing submission or defeat despite the aggression it faces.”
Sunday’s strike marks the third consecutive day of missile launches from Yemen toward Israel, according to the IDF.
The Houthis claim their hypersonic missiles have stealth technology, a range of 2,150 kilometres (1,335 miles), high maneuverability and can travel up to speeds of Mach 16.
Since Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza started in October 2023, the country has come under fire from missiles and rockets from Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, who claim to strike Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Almost all of the projectiles have been intercepted by Israel’s air defences.
But in December, a Houthi missile hit Israel’s commercial capital Tel Aviv after a failed interception, leading to more than a dozen injuries.
The Houthis said they fired a hypersonic ballistic missile labelled “Palestine 2” at an Israeli military target in the Jaffa area. And in July, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a deadly drone attack in Tel Aviv – the first such strike on the city by the group.
Israel has launched several strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, including the targeting of a power plant and maritime ports in January.
But the US military has carried out far more extensive strikes on targets in Yemen in recent weeks, aiming to weaken the group, whose attacks on Red Sea shipping have significantly disrupted global trade.
The campaign is also aimed at stopping launches targeting Israel, as well as commercial and US Navy vessels operating in the Middle East.
Early last month, the cost of US the effort had approached $1 billion in just three weeks, including the deployment of B-2 stealth bombers and the use of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of high-end munitions.
But it has largely failed to disrupt the Houthis’ ability to launch ballistic missiles against Israel.
The country’s vaunted missile defence system routinely intercepts the launches, but some have gotten through.
