Houthi missile falls short of Israel as attacks continue

The image, captured by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite on May 7, was first identified by open-source analyst MT Anderson and shows aircraft matching the dimensions of B-52 bombers parked at the US Naval Support Facility.

The B-52s join a buildup of US assets at the base, including previously deployed B-2 stealth bombers, C-17 cargo planes, and aerial refueling tankers, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine and The War Zone.

The enhanced deployment follows months of rising tensions between Washington and Tehran. While US President Donald Trump has said he prefers a peaceful resolution to the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program, he has also warned of military action if no agreement is reached.

Tehran has rejected talks outside the framework of the 2015 nuclear deal.

In March, a senior Iranian military official warned that Iran would target the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia if it is used to launch attacks. “There will be no distinction in targeting British or American forces if Iran is attacked from any base in the region or within range of Iranian missiles,” the official told The Telegraph.

However, the remote Indian Ocean base is located some 3,800 kilometers from Iran—beyond the estimated 2,000-kilometer range of Iranian ballistic missiles.

A UK government spokesman condemned the threats at the time, calling the base “vital to UK and US security” and underscoring London’s efforts to promote de-escalation in the region.

Diego Garcia has previously been used to launch US strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan. The latest deployments suggest the US is positioning for potential large-scale operations, even as diplomatic efforts with Tehran remain uncertain.

US President Donald Trump made the shock announcement in the White House on Tuesday that he was calling off a bombing campaign on Yemen's Houthis after the Iran-backed group "capitulated" by agreeing to halt attacks on shipping.

Oman said on Tuesday it was mediating a Houthi-US ceasefire deal, but adding to the fog of war, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti was quoted by Bloomberg as saying after Trump's announcement that it would continue its campaign until Israel halts attacks on Gaza.

Tehran and Washington have signaled continued commitment to nuclear negotiations but stepped-up combat between the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen and Israel had cast a shadow over the diplomatic efforts.

The Houthis pierced Israel's air defenses to land a ballistic missile near Israel's main airport on Saturday and Israeli fighter jets attacked Yemen's main port on Monday and airport on Tuesday along with power plants and a factory.

"Our choice of when to respond, how to respond, and on what targets to respond - this is a consideration we make every time," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

"And this also concerns the patron of the Houthis - Iran, without whose approval and their long-term support, the Houthis cannot carry out their criminal missile attack."

The uptick in violence suggests the religious militia and perhaps its backers in Tehran are not deterred despite the painful blows Israel has meted out to Iran and its armed affiliates in over a year of regional fighting.

Before the Ben Gurion airport attack, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also warned of unspecified payback for Tehran, citing its continued support for the Houthis despite an explicit warning from President Trump that they desist support or face attack.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has long rejected the notion that groups like the Houthis act at Iran’s direction. “The Islamic Republic does not have proxies. Yemen is fighting because of its faith,” he said in a December 2024 speech.

In a letter to the United Nations on Monday, Iran's UN ambassador Saeid Iravani rejected allegations of complicity in the Houthi attack on the airport, warning that “the United States and the Israeli regime will bear full and unequivocal responsibility for all consequences” arising from any aggression on the Islamic Republic.

The future of Iran-US indirect talks currently hangs in the balance after a fourth round is due to be held in Oman over the weekend after they were delayed by a week for unclear reasons.

Hardline Iranian media and officials, including the IRGC-linked Javan newspaper, praise the Houthis for their anti-Israeli and anti-American positions. “Ansarullah's missiles on Ben Gurion shook Israel’s psychological security,” Ali Shamkhani, a Khamenei advisor, wrote Tuesday on X.

“The attack from Sanaa was a strategic blow to the delusion of the Resistance’s collapse — a front that now holds the initiative, with an ever-growing presence from Lebanon and Gaza to Iraq and Sanaa,” he wrote.

Yet, the strike's timing has led some commentators to posit that that factions within Iran may be actively undermining diplomatic progress.

Iranian-Canadian analyst Shahir Shahidsaless raised the question directly: “Is the hardline faction of the Iranian government once again trying to sabotage and disrupt the talks?” he posted on X.

Even some conservatives have acknowledged that the timing of the strike could be damaging to the US talks. Military analyst Behzad Atabaki, writing on a Telegram channel, argued that Iran should have at least called for a pause in Houthi attacks during the negotiation period. “Maybe it’s too late, maybe not,” he said.

News agency photographs appeared to show a mushroom cloud arising from the outskirts of the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital Sanaa.

"A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck and dismantled Houthi terrorist infrastructure at the main airport in Sanaa, fully disabling the airport," the Israeli military said in a statement.

"The strike was carried out in response to the attack launched by the Houthi terrorist regime against Ben Gurion Airport. Flight runways, aircraft, and infrastructure at the airport were struck."

The strikes follow Israeli airstrikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah on Monday after the Houthi ballistic missile landed near Ben Gurion Airport on Saturday, causing several airlines to halt flights.

Monday's strikes killed four people and injured 39, according to the Houthi-run health ministry.

The Israeli military said that the airport and port both served as a hub for the transfer of weapons and operatives. "It has been routinely used by the Houthi regime for terrorist purposes," said the statement.

Several central power plants were struck in the Sanaa area as well as the Al Imran Concrete Plant, located north of Sanaa, which the Israeli military said is used for the construction of underground tunnels.

"This strike further degrades the Houthi regime’s economic and military buildup capabilities," the statement added.

Yemen's Houthi-run foreign ministry condemned the attacks, saying, "This aggression will not go unpunished."

"(The attack) reflects ... the failure of the Zionist entity to achieve its goals in Yemen and its attempt to search for a false victory," it added in a statement.

Designated a terrorist organization by countries including the United States, the Houthis have been launching scores of missiles and drones towards Israel and targeting shipping in the Red Sea since the start of the Gaza war, in what it says is solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel's expanding incursion into Gaza.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military again blamed the Houthi attack on Tehran.

"Over the past year and a half, the Houthi terrorist regime has been operating under Iranian direction and funding, with the goal of targeting the State of Israel and its allies, undermining regional stability, and disrupting global freedom of navigation," the Israeli military statement said.

Iran has denied involvement in Houthi attacks on Israel and international shipping, and foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that Tehran does not operate through regional proxies.

“The decisions made by the people of Yemen reflect their own will, and all such accusations against Iran are baseless.”

The Israeli military had earlier warned civilians to evacuate the vicinity of the airport.

"Not evacuating puts you in danger," the warning read, publishing a map outlining the area targeted.

In a post on the social media platform X, Shamkhani described the attack as a "strategic blow to the illusion of the decline of resistance."

Shamkhani's comments came a day after the Israeli military launched airstrikes against the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeidah in Yemen, saying it was used for the transfer of Iranian weapons used to attack Israel.

The raid was carried out in response to repeated drone and ballistic missile attacks by the Houthi rebels against Israel, it said.

On Saturday the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that hit near Israel's main Ben Gurion Airport. Shortly after, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation.

Almost twenty Israeli fighter jets engaged in the attack and dozens of targets were pounded, the Israeli military said in a statement on Monday.

"The terrorist infrastructure attacked in the Hodeidah seaport serves as a major source of income for the Houthi regime. The seaport in Hodeidah is used to transfer Iranian weapons, equipment for military needs and other terrorist needs," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) added.

The raid was carried out in response to repeated drone and ballistic missile attacks by the Houthi rebels against Israel, it said.

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On Saturday the Houthis fired a ballistic missile that hit near Israel's main Ben Gurion Airport. Shortly after, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation.

The Houthis "have been operating for the past year and a half with Iranian guidance and funding to harm Israel and its allies, undermine regional order, and disrupt global freedom of navigation," the Israeli military said, adding it is "determined to continue to act and strike with force anyone who poses a threat to the residents and citizens of Israel, and at whatever distance is required."

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Iran has denied involvement in Houthi attacks on Israel and international shipping, and foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei saying Monday that Tehran does not operate through regional proxies.

“The decisions made by the people of Yemen reflect their own will, and all such accusations against Iran are baseless.”

The Israeli airstrikes also targeted a concrete factory east of the city of Hodeidah, which the the Israeli military says "serves as an important economic resource for the Houthi government and is used to build tunnels and military infrastructure."

Israel's Channel 14 reported that the airstrikes were carried out independently, without US participation or assistance. However, Israeli outlet Walla News reported that the attacks were coordinated with the United States.