Yemen missile halts Israel flights ahead of Gaza war vote

A missile launched by Iranianbacked rebels in Yemen briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at Israels main international airport on Sunday after its impact near an access road caused panic among passengers The attack on BenGurion International Airport came hours before Israeli Cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify military operations in Gaza The army was calling up tens of thousands of reserves Israels chief of staff Lt Gen Eyal Zamir saidIsraels army said it was the first time a missile struck the airport grounds since the war in Gaza began The military said initial findings indicated the likely cause was a technical issue with the interceptor Israels paramedic service Magen David Adom said four people were lightly wounded Multiple international airlines canceled or postponed flights The war with Hamas in Gaza and then Hezbollah in Lebanon had led a wave of airlines to suspend flights to Israel Many had resumed in recent monthsThe Houthis have targeted Israel throughout the war in solidarity with Palestinians raising their profile at home and internationally as the last member of Irans selfdescribed Axis of Resistance capable of launching regular attacks on Israel The US military under President Donald Trump has launched an intensified campaign of daily airstrikes targeting the Houthis since March 15Early Monday the rebels issued a warning to airlines that they would carry out repeated targeting of BenGurion Israels main gateway to the world International carriers should cancel all their flights to the airports of the criminal Israeli enemy in order to safeguard the safety of their aircraft and passengers the Houthis saidIsrael vows to respondHouthi military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree said in a video statement that the group fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at the airport Houthi rebels have fired at Israel since the war with Gaza began on Oct 7 2023 The missiles have mostly been intercepted although some have penetrated Israels missile defense systems causing damage Israel has struck back against the rebels in YemenPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the US was supporting Israeli operations against the Houthis Its not bang bang and were done but there will be bangs he said In a later statement he added Israel would respond to the Houthis AND at a time and place of our choosing to their Iranian terror mastersVote on expanding Gaza warNetanyahu said the security Cabinet was meeting Sunday evening to vote on plans to expand the fighting in Gaza We will operate in additional areas and we will destroy all of the infrastructure above and below ground Zamir said Farright Israeli National Security Minister Itamar BenGvir told Israeli Army Radio he wanted to see a powerful expansion of the war and demanded that Israel bomb the food and electricity supplies in GazaAn 8week ceasefire with the Hamas militant group allowed more aid into Gaza and freed some Israeli hostages but it collapsed in March when Israel resumed strikes The military has since captured swaths of the coastal enclave Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed according to local health officialsIsrael in March halted the entry of goods into Gaza as part of efforts to pressure Hamas to negotiate on Israels terms for a new ceasefire That has plunged the territory of 23 million people into what is believed to be the worst humanitarian crisis of the war Hunger has been widespread and shortages have set off lootingIn a confrontation over efforts to support Gaza Maltas prime minister Robert Abela said his country had offered to send a marine surveyor to look into the damage caused to a ship said to be carrying aid and organized by proPalestinian activists Abela said the captain refused The activists said Friday their vessel was struck by drones blaming Israel The ship remained in international waters off Malta The Israeli military has not commentedNew Israeli airstrikes kill childrenIsraeli airstrikes killed at least seven Palestinians including parents and their children ages 2 and 4 in southern and central Gaza Palestinian medics said The military had no comment The military said two soldiers were killed in combat in Gaza bringing the number killed since fighting resumed in March to sixThe war in Gaza began when Hamasled militants attacked southern Israel killing 1200 people and taking about 250 hostages Israel says 59 captives remain in Gaza although about 35 are believed to be deadIsraels offensive has killed more than 52000 people in Gaza many of them women and children according to Palestinian health officials who do not distinguish between combatants and civilians in their count The fighting has displaced more than 9037 of Gazas population often multiple timesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete 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