Houthis say they targeted Ben Gurion airport in Israel
"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted" by the Israeli air force, an Israeli military statement said.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree posted on Telegram on Tuesday that the group launched a military operation targeting Ben Gurion Airport using a 'hypersonic ballistic missile".
Saree said the operation achieved its goal, "causing millions of herds of usurping Zionists to flee to shelters and halting airport operations."
He also added that three other Israeli-occupied areas were targeted using drones.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened the Houthis after the attack, saying "Yemen will be treated like Tehran".
"After striking the head of the snake in Tehran, we will also strike the Huthis in Yemen. Anyone who raises a hand against Israel will have their hand cut off," Katz said, according to a statement from his office, the AFP reported.
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Israel lost Read More » By weaponising psychological deterrence, Tehran has achieved what years of sanctions could not: making Israel's financial ecosystem appear unstable, vulnerable, and fundamentally unsustainable. Iran has long lived under sanctions and siege, and has developed the capacity to endure such conditions for decades. This has given it a hardened resilience that decisively outmatches Israel's war economy, which is deeply dependent on global capital markets, western political backing, and short-cycle military dominance. Unlike Israel, which cannot sustain prolonged disruption without risking economic and political breakdown, Iran's system is built for survival through attrition. Its strategic patience, forged through decades of pressure, gives it a deeper national resolve that threatens to outlast and wear down the Israeli state's ability to finance and justify an extended war. Fiscal freefall Israel's economic crisis is not just one of cost but of confidence. 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Israel is not just fighting on seven military fronts. It is now fighting for economic survival. The Iranian attack on Israel has paradoxically helped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deflect mounting domestic criticism by reframing the conflict as an existential national struggle rather than a political liability. Trump's recent moves reflect not strategic generosity but an opportunistic gambit to reassert American influence across the Middle East However, the limited success of the US strike on Iran's nuclear facility on 22 June underscores that this is not a war of quick victories, but one of attrition, where strategic resolve will ultimately determine the outcome. The ceasefire that concluded the latest round of hostilities between Iran and Israel does not signify resolution, but recalibration. In the vacuum of mutual exhaustion, the US, under Trump, has seized the opportunity to reposition itself not merely as an arbiter but as the architect of the post-conflict regional order. Trump's recent moves reflect not strategic generosity but an opportunistic gambit, capitalising on Iran's strategic gains and Israel's fiscal exhaustion to reassert American influence across the Middle East by reshaping infrastructure, economic dependencies, and political alignments. A pivotal development preceding the escalation was Iran's inauguration of a direct railway link to China, reducing shipping times to approximately 15 days. More significantly, it facilitates transactions beyond the reach of dollar-based financial systems and sanctions enforcement. By embedding itself within China's Belt and Road Initiative, Iran signalled a deliberate move to reorient its economic future away from the western-led order. The subsequent joint US-Israeli strikes against Iranian infrastructure suggest that this infrastructural pivot - rather than nuclear enrichment alone - was partially perceived as a primary threat. American designs Following the ceasefire, the US has adopted a transactional approach to contain further Iranian gains. The Trump administration's decision to allow Chinese refiners to resume purchases of Iranian oil, since revoked, reflects a calculated use of selective relief to slow Iran's strategic deepening with China. This is not a concession but an attempt to draw Iran into financial arrangements governed by US institutions, thereby preserving a degree of control over its liquidity and trade exposure. In parallel, the US has intensified its use of multilateral finance as a strategic tool against Iran. The India-Middle East Corridor: A new Silk Route or diplomacy by PowerPoint? Read More » The World Bank's electricity grant to Syria, although framed as a development initiative, serves to weaken Iran's influence over the future of Syria. Similar efforts are underway in Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah's parallel service networks. These moves are designed to stabilise the architecture underpinning the Abraham Accords. With Israel facing fiscal strain and declining deterrence credibility, regional calm is crucial to preserving economic integration with Gulf states and protecting the viability of projects like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. Iran's capacity to disrupt shipping lanes and energy flows has underscored the fragility of these initiatives. In sum, the US is pursuing a strategy of infrastructural counterweight and institutional encirclement. It seeks to neutralise Iran's strategic momentum not through escalation, but through selective accommodation, economic instruments, and containment. This approach marks a shift from military dominance to structural influence, aimed at managing, rather than resolving, the contradictions of the current regional order. Through initiatives like the Abraham Shield plan, the US hopes to transform Israel's wartime momentum into a durable order anchored in strategic deterrence, economic integration and political normalisation. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
