Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, better known as the Houthis, announced the launch of a hypersonic ballistic missile at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The statement was made by a spokesman for the group's military wing on March 21, 2025. According to the Houthis, the operation was a success and the missile "achieved its intended target." At the same time, the rebels reported an attack on warships of the US carrier group, led by the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman, in the Red Sea. For this mission, according to representatives of the movement, several unmanned aerial vehicles were used to target American ships. However, no confirmed data on explosions or destruction in Israel was recorded, which casts doubt on the Yemeni rebels' claims of success.

The Houthis are portraying the attacks as part of their campaign against Israel and its allies, demanding that the blockade of the Gaza Strip be lifted. An Ansar Allah spokesman stressed that the strikes on Tel Aviv and US military facilities in the region will continue until their conditions are met.

The incident is the latest in a series of escalations in the Houthis’ standoff with the US-led coalition and Israel, which has escalated amid the conflict in Gaza. Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s largest air hub, has repeatedly been targeted by Yemeni rebels, but their attacks have so far been either intercepted or failed to achieve their goal. At the same time, the presence of US warships in the Red Sea remains a key deterrent to the Houthis, who have been regularly shelling ships in the strategic area since November 2023 in protest of Israel’s actions.

To add context, the Houthis stepped up their activities in March 2025. On March 20, Reuters reported, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saria said they had struck a military target in southern Tel Aviv using a hypersonic missile, marking the fourth attack on the USS Harry Truman in recent months. The Israeli military confirmed the missile had been launched from Yemen and an air raid siren had been triggered in the Tel Aviv area, but stressed that the threat had been eliminated before the missile entered Israeli airspace.