Al Mayadeen – May 4, 2025
Yemen targeted Ben Gurion with hypersonic ballistic missile
A missile fired from Yemen struck near Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport, halting flights and causing injuries, as "Israel’s" Arrow 3 and THAAD systems failed to intercept it.
The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) fired a hypersonic ballistic missile at Ben Gurion airport in the occupied Palestinian territories, targeting the area of Terminal 3, according to an announcement by the YAF's spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, on Sunday.
Saree revealed that the US and Israeli interception systems failed to intercept the missile and forced more than three million settlers to flee.
Additionally, air traffic at Ben Gurion Airport was suspended minutes after resuming, along with a halt to train services in the area.
The flight cancellation wave expanded, with Switzerland and Austria set to cancel flights to "Israel" and the Spanish airline Air Europa officially cancelling flights.
YAF fire missile at Ben Gurion
Israeli media reported on Sunday that a missile fired from Yemen struck the area of Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, causing plumes of smoke to rise and leading to the suspension of both flight and train operations in the vicinity. According to the Magen David Adom emergency service, several individuals were injured in the incident.
Following the missile launch from Yemen, air raid sirens sounded across the central region of the occupied territories. Notably, Israeli media sources confirmed that interceptor missiles failed to intercept the projectile.
Channel 12 reported that the security establishment believes both the Arrow 3 and THAAD missile defense systems failed to stop the missile. The failure has sparked concerns within the Israeli occupation about the security of Ben Gurion Airport, as fears mount that airlines may reconsider flights to the area.
In response, Israeli police urged the public to avoid the airport, and one Israeli outlet described the incident as "the most dangerous operation since the beginning of the war," calling for a strong response.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv labeled the missile strike on Ben Gurion Airport "dramatic on a global scale." Meanwhile, the official Sanaa-based newspaper al-Thawra cited a source in the Yemeni Ministry of Defense stating that "the military units accompanying the US aircraft carrier Truman have arrived at the Suez Canal on their way out of the Red Sea."
The source added that this marks the failure of the US mission to halt Yemeni operations in support of the Palestinian people, asserting that Truman’s departure symbolizes the collapse of US-UK aggression objectives.
Yemen's escalation in support of Gaza
The missile strike on Ben Gurion Airport represents a major shift in the confrontation between Yemen and the Israeli occupation.
It also highlights the ongoing campaign of Yemeni solidarity with Gaza amid continued Israeli aggression and the targeting of vessels linked to "Israel" in the Red and Arabian Seas.
As the war expands on multiple fronts, the missile from Yemen that hit Ben Gurion Airport marks both a strategic and symbolic escalation, drawing international attention and underscoring the regional impact of the war.
Al-Qassam Brigades ambush Israaeli Forces in Rafah tunnel operation
Al-Qassam Brigades executed a deadly ambush in Rafah, targeting an IOF engineering unit with explosives and anti-tank shells, causing heavy casualties amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The Al-Qassam Brigades released a statement providing a detailed account of the ambush that targeted Israeli forces in Rafah on Saturday, at the height of "Israel's" genocidal war on Gaza.
Al-Qassam Brigades said that their fighters successfully drew an Israeli engineering unit toward a tunnel entrance that had been pre-rigged with explosives. The operation began with direct engagement, during which the fighters killed several members of the unit at point-blank range.
The Palestinian Resistance group said that as additional Israeli soldiers moved closer to the tunnel, their fighters triggered the explosives, causing significant casualties among the troops, including deaths and injuries, before engaging two Israeli tanks with al-Yassin 105 shells in a follow-up attack.
They stated that their fighters monitored Israeli forces attempting to retrieve casualties from the ambush site located east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, observing the evacuation efforts in the aftermath of the attack.
Al-Qassam Brigades announced that on Saturday, their fighters activated an anti-personnel explosive device targeting a six-soldier Israeli infantry unit near Al-Zahraa Mosque in Al-Janina neighborhood, east of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip, resulting in enemy casualties.
The Israeli occupation military confirmed on Sunday that two soldiers, including an officer, had been killed and that several others had been wounded as confrontations continued in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli occupation forces' spokesperson stated that an officer from the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit had been killed during clashes in the southern part of the besieged Gaza Strip and that another soldier from the same unit had also been killed in the same area.
The incident, described by Israeli outlets as "difficult," occurred as a Golani Brigade force operating under the 36th Division was combing a building and discovered the tunnel entrance. At some point during the operation, an explosive, previously undetected, detonated, leading to the fatalities.
The Israeli occupation forces reported that in the same encounter, another soldier from the Yahalom unit had sustained critical injuries, while separately, a reserve soldier from the 7007 Battalion of the Jerusalem [Al-Quds] (16th) Brigade had also been critically wounded during clashes in northern Gaza on Saturday.
Gaza death toll reaches 52,535 as fuel delivery blocked to hospitals
The Israeli occupation is still blocking fuel access to Gaza's hospitals, risking shutdowns as Gaza’s death toll rises to 52,535 and fuel runs critically low.
The Israeli occupation continues to obstruct international and UN agencies from reaching designated fuel storage sites meant for Gaza’s hospitals, citing their location in so-called "red zones." The move threatens to bring critical hospital operations to a halt, as these facilities rely heavily on fuel-powered generators to keep life-saving departments functioning.
According to health authorities in Gaza, the remaining fuel reserves in hospitals are only sufficient to last for three more days.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that 40 martyrs and 125 injuries were recorded over the past 24 hours as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression.
Tens of thousands murdered
As of May 4, the total number of martyrs since the beginning of the aggression on October 7, 2023, has reached 52,535, with 118,491 others injured.
From March 18, 2025, alone, i.e., since the resumption of the aggression on Gaza, 2,436 people have been martyred and 6,450 injured.
Hospitals and Humanitarian Organizations have warned that Gaza is facing a catastrophic crisis, with food and medicine shortages reaching critical levels amid "Israel's" siege on the Strip.
The Kuwait Specialized Hospital in Rafahﾠreported on Saturday a dire scarcity of the majority of vital drugs and basic nutritional supplies needed for patients, highlighting that over 75% of essential medical supplies are critically lacking in the Gaza Strip.
The Kuwaiti hospital warned that "the ability to continue providing medical services is now at risk," adding that "the stock of medicines and medical supplies will not last for more than a week," stressing that "most healthcare services will come to a halt without urgent and immediate intervention."
The World Food Programme (WFP) warned that its food reserves within the Gaza Strip have been completely depleted, urgently calling for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the besieged enclave. The WFP confirmed that critical life-saving supplies are prepared for delivery yet remain inaccessible due to the continued closure of all border crossings.
Only Muslim unity to stop tragedies like Gaza, Yemen: Sayyed Khamenei
Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei calls on Muslim nations to unite, stressing that disunity enables “Israel”, the US, and colonial powers to exploit the Islamic world.
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, emphasized the urgent need for unity among Muslim nations to prevent tragedies like those unfolding in Gaza and Yemen. His remarks came during a speech in Tehran on Sunday, addressed to officials and organizers of the annual Hajj pilgrimage
.
Sayyed Khamenei underscored the significance of Hajj as a symbol of unity across the Islamic world, stressing that the gathering transcends race, ethnicity, and national borders.
"The Hajj gathering is for the benefit of humanity, and there is no benefit for the Islamic Ummah greater than unity," he said.
Had Muslim nations been united, the suffering seen in Palestine and Yemen would not have been possible, he said.
"If the Islamic Ummah were united, the issues of Palestine and Gaza would not happen and Yemen would not be pressured like this."
Division is a pathway for foreign intervention
Since October 2023, "Israel" has carried out a brutal campaign in Gaza, killing nearly 53,000 Palestinians and leaving the besieged territory in ruins. Meanwhile, the US, UK, and the Israeli occupation have continued their strikes on Yemen, escalating since March 15, when US President Donald Trump intensified military action in response to Yemeni operations targeting "Israel" in solidarity with Gaza.
Sayyed Khamenei warned that internal divisions among Muslim nations open the door for foreign interference and domination. "Division and discord pave the way for the colonialists, the US, the Zionist regime, and other expansionists to impose their interests and ambitions," he warned.
He stressed that Islamic unity is the foundation for achieving security, development, and mutual support among Muslim states.
"With the unity of the Ummah, security, progress, and synergy among Islamic countries and their assistance to each other become possible," he noted, urging that the opportunity of Hajj be recognized and utilized in this light.
'Essence of Hajj is political'
The leader also addressed the often-overlooked political dimension of Hajj, stressing that the pilgrimage is inherently political in nature. "Contrary to the efforts, words, and actions of some who tarnish it, the essence of Hajj is political, its form is political, and its composition is political," he said.
"Hajj, perhaps, is the only obligation whose outward form and appearance and its composition are 100 percent political," he added.
Sayyed Khamenei explained that gathering Muslims in one place, at one time, every year, serves a far greater purpose than individual worship, calling it an act of global coordination and spiritual solidarity.
"Far from being an ordinary pilgrimage and a sightseeing trip, the journey for Hajj is participation in a very important practice that God Almighty has ordained for the management of humanity—not just the management of believers and Muslims, but for the management of humanity," he said.
"Hajj is for the administration of humanity. The true Hajj is a service to humanity—not just to yourself, your country, and the Islamic Ummah; it is a service to humanity," the Leader continued.
He called on Islamic governments, particularly Saudi Arabia, as the host of millions of pilgrims, to acknowledge and communicate the true purpose of Hajj. He also emphasized the role of intellectuals, scholars, writers, and influential figures in explaining the political and social truths embedded in the pilgrimage.
