Houthis Declare Full Aerial Blockade on Israeli Airports, Warn International Airlines

Watan-Hamas on Sunday welcomed the announcement by Yemen’s Houthi group of a full aerial blockade on Israel, in response to Tel Aviv’s plan to expand its military operations against the Gaza Strip as part of what the group described as a U.S.-backed genocide.

In a statement, Hamas said:“This heroic action embodies the deep engagement of Yemen and our brothers in Ansar Allah in the battle to defend our people and support them amid a criminal Zionist assault aimed at extermination and eliminating our cause.”

The statement added:“Noble Yemen, with its honorable stance reflecting the authenticity of its people and the bravery of its leadership, restores in this heroic battle the values of brotherhood, religious and Arab bonds, and solidarity with the nation’s causes and sacred sites suffering under a brutal fascist occupation.”

Hamas emphasized that the Yemeni armed forces’ position—rejecting Israeli aggression against Arab lands, particularly in Lebanon and Syria—represents “a responsible affirmation of a shared destiny and the need to unify efforts to counter the dangerous Zionist plans targeting the region.”

The movement called on the Arab and Islamic nations “to join the battle to defend the nation and its independence, confront fascist occupation schemes, and work to uproot it from all occupied Arab territories.”

Earlier on Sunday, the Yemeni Houthi group announced the imposition of a full aerial blockade on Israel in response to the latter’s escalated aggression in Gaza, according to a statement by Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree.

The group declared:“In response to the Israeli escalation and its decision to expand its aggressive operations in Gaza, we announce that we will enforce a comprehensive air blockade on the Israeli enemy by repeatedly targeting airports, foremost among them Lod Airport (Ben Gurion).”

The statement continued:“We urge all global airlines to consider this announcement seriously as of the moment of its release, and to cancel all flights to the criminal enemy’s airports to ensure the safety of their aircraft and passengers.”

The statement stressed that “free and independent Yemen will not accept the ongoing violations imposed by the enemy through its targeting of Arab countries such as Lebanon and Syria,” asserting that “this nation will not fear confrontation, and will reject submission and defeat.”

The Houthi warning comes just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to launch strikes on Yemen following the Houthis’ missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport in response to Israel’s ongoing campaign in Gaza.

While the Houthis have previously claimed ballistic missile strikes on the airport, this marks the first time Israel acknowledged that a Yemeni missile landed near the airport and directly impacted air traffic.

Israel’s Channel 13 reported that several airlines, including Lufthansa (Germany), Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Air India, ITA Airways, and Air Europa, canceled their scheduled Sunday flights to Tel Aviv.

Both Israel’s “Arrow” air defense system and the U.S.-made “THAAD” system failed to intercept the missile, which injured seven people lightly and suspended airport operations for about an hour, according to the channel.

Meanwhile, the Houthi group continues to face intense U.S. airstrikes since mid-March, which reportedly targeted dozens of sites and caused hundreds of civilian casualties. The group claims that the U.S. has carried out 1,300 air and naval attacks on Yemen since then.

Despite renewed American strikes ordered by President Donald Trump, the Houthis have continued to launch military operations targeting both Israel and American interests in the Red Sea.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel—backed by the United States—has committed what has been described as acts of genocide in Gaza, resulting in over 170,000 Palestinian casualties, most of them women and children, and more than 11,000 missing