On May 4, 2025, the Houthis launched a missile from Yemen—built with Iranian-supplied components—that evaded Israeli and American air defenses and struck within the perimeter of Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport. The strike triggered a cascade of flight suspensions that grounded many non-Israeli airlines, left Israelis stranded abroad, and discouraged tourism and business travel to Israel. Between 2015 and 2022, during the US-supported, Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, Saudi Arabia faced a similar threat when nearly 1,000 missile and 350 drone attacks—executed by the Iran-backed Houthis—targeted critical infrastructure, particularly airports, resulting in repeated disruptions to civil air traffic. Most notably, al-Abha International Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia was hit twice in June 2019.
The outbreak of war between Israel and Iran on June 13, following Israel’s preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear weapons program, has opened a new frontier for this warfare model. Iran’s initial aerial retaliation targeted Israel’s defense headquarters in Tel Aviv, but its subsequent aerial retaliations focused on civilian population centers—a shift that underscores its evolving tactical priorities, given its diminishing missile arsenal. How might Iran adapt its strategy in response to the reopening of Israel’s airspace to commercial traffic? This analysis explores how the intentional targeting of commercial air traffic has become a potent instrument of asymmetric warfare for Iran and the Houthis.
Missile Strike at Ben Gurion International Airport
Despite Israel’s robust air defense system successfully intercepting dozens of missiles launched from Yemen in prior attacks, on May 4, 2025, a single missile evaded interception and landed within the grounds of Ben Gurion International Airport. At 9:18 am Israel time, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) detected a launch and promptly relayed a warning to air traffic controllers who then activated their prearranged response protocols and airborne aircraft were diverted away from potential interception zones. One aircraft on final approach was permitted to land at 9:21 am. Air raid sirens sounded at 9:22 am across central Israel, including the airport’s vicinity. At 9:24 am a missile struck a field near an access road leading to an airport parking lot. According to Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority, “Following approximately thirty minutes of runway inspections, landing operations resumed.”
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