SANAA, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi armed group on Thursday claimed responsibility for a fresh "hypersonic ballistic missile" strike on an airport in central Israel earlier in the day.
"The Yemeni armed forces (Houthi armed forces) carried out a qualitative military operation targeting Ben Gurion Airport, using a hypersonic ballistic missile," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
"The operation successfully achieved its goal ... and forced millions of Israelis to flee to shelters, as well as halting the airport operations," Sarea said.
The attack is "a victory for the oppressed Palestinian people" and a response to the crimes of genocide and starvation committed by the enemy in the Gaza Strip, he said.
Earlier in the day, the Israeli Defense Forces said it had identified a missile flying from Yemen toward Israel, which was intercepted by Israel's aerial defense systems.
The Houthis, which control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, have been launching attacks against Israeli targets since November 2023 to show solidarity with the Palestinian people amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. ■
