A missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels landed perilously close to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on Friday, triggering a fiery response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and exposing deep fractures in regional and international security coordination. In a tense video message released hours after the incident, Netanyahu declared Israel would not only retaliate but would escalate.
“We operated against them in the past and we will operate in the future,” Netanyahu said, hinting at a sustained campaign. “It’s not ‘bang—that’s it,’ but there will be bangs.”
While no casualties were reported, the symbolic and strategic implications of the missile strike are significant. The location—a major international airport and critical infrastructure point—was interpreted as a bold provocation, not just by the Houthis, but by their primary backer: Iran.
However, behind the scenes, another crisis had already been brewing. A dramatic leak earlier in the week exposed a covert Israeli plan—backed by factions within the U.S. military—to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. The plan, stalled by opposition from U.S. President Donald Trump, has intensified debates over the West’s approach to Iran and the broader Middle East.
The Houthi missile didn’t just shake windows—it shook assumptions. The group, heavily armed and backed by Iran, has long targeted Saudi and Emirati infrastructure, but a direct strike near Israel’s main airport was unprecedented.
The Israeli military, caught off guard by the missile’s range and precision, launched an investigation into the trajectory and type of missile used. Experts suspect it to be a Quds-type ballistic missile with extended range capabilities, previously thought incapable of reaching central Israel.
Israeli defense officials were quick to pin the blame on Iran, which has armed and trained Houthi factions for years. While Tehran denied direct involvement, few in Israel were convinced.
“The Houthis are an Iranian extension,” said Yoav Gallant, Israel’s Minister of Defense. “Their actions are not independent. They are coordinated and strategic.”
Netanyahu’s threat of “bangs” wasn’t mere rhetoric. Military analysts believe Israel may now feel justified in expanding operations beyond Gaza and Lebanon—possibly even into Yemen itself, a move with enormous implications for regional stability.
Just days before the missile strike, The New York Times published a bombshell report detailing a failed Israeli plan to bomb Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. The report revealed deep internal divisions within the Trump administration and significant Israeli frustration over what it sees as American timidity.
Citing anonymous sources, the report claimed that Netanyahu and key Israeli defense figures pushed hard for a coordinated strike with the United States, targeting Iran’s underground nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Arak. While military leaders like Gen. Michael Kurilla, head of CENTCOM, were reportedly in favor, others in the White House warned of triggering a full-scale regional war.
President Trump, known for his isolationist leanings despite his aggressive rhetoric, ultimately favored diplomacy. “Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said in a statement, “but I don’t want to do anything that’s going to hurt anybody… I’m not in a rush.”
The revelation of the failed Iran strike plan has deeply embarrassed Israeli leadership. According to sources quoted in The Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu even traveled secretly to Washington last month in a final bid to persuade Trump, only to be rebuffed.
In private, Israeli officials were reportedly furious. “This is one of the most dangerous leaks in Israel’s history,” said a senior Israeli official who requested anonymity. “It damages our credibility and emboldens Iran.”
Former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman didn’t hold back, blasting Netanyahu on X (formerly Twitter): “I read the entire leak in the New York Times, and I thought how lucky we were that Netanyahu wasn’t prime minister when we bombed the nuclear reactors in Syria and Iraq.”
Others were more subtle but equally damning, suggesting Netanyahu leaked details himself to protect his image at home, portraying himself as a decisive leader constrained by foreign indecision.
The frustration in Israeli circles is rooted in a legacy of successful unilateral action. Israel has long adopted the doctrine of preemption when it comes to nuclear threats. Its record is clear: bomb first, debate later.
In 1981, Israel carried out Operation Opera, bombing Iraq’s Osirak reactor near Baghdad in a surprise airstrike that destroyed the site before it could become operational. Again in 2007, Operation Outside the Box saw Israeli jets obliterate a suspected Syrian reactor in Deir ez-Zor.
The 2007 strike, like its 1981 predecessor, was executed with surgical precision. F-16Is and F-15Is flew at low altitude under Syrian radar coverage. By dawn, the reactor—hidden in a desert gorge—was nothing but rubble.
Israel’s military revealed the operation over a decade later, in 2018. “The Israeli government… prevented Syria from developing nuclear capability,” Netanyahu wrote. “They are worthy of full praise.”
The declassification was deliberate: a reminder that when push comes to shove, Israel can and will act alone. But the Iran case is different.
Iran’s facilities are deeper, more fortified, and geographically spread. A successful strike would likely require weeks of sustained bombing, cyber sabotage, and possibly boots on the ground.
For all his bluster, Trump has generally leaned toward disengagement from direct military conflict. His abrupt withdrawal from northern Syria in 2019 and his repeated calls to end “endless wars” define his foreign policy posture.
Still, the Iran case has tested this doctrine. After ordering the assassination of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020, Trump sent a strong signal to Tehran. But that strike—carried out with limited risk and no follow-up—was more symbolic than strategic.
The debate inside Trump’s 2025 administration reflects these contradictions. While some, like Gen. Kurilla and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, favored a bold strike, others argued for restraint, warning of spiraling retaliation across Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and the Gulf.
“Bombing Iran might delay their program by a year, maybe two,” said one U.S. intelligence source. “But at what cost? We risk dragging the U.S. into another endless war.”
Despite the aborted plan, Israel has not ruled out unilateral action. Senior officials insist that the Iran strike plan is “delayed, not canceled.” Military exercises simulating long-range attacks have intensified, and Israeli rhetoric has sharpened.
Meanwhile, the Houthis’ missile attack has renewed calls for a broader strategy against Iran’s regional proxies. Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon have already intensified, and a broader campaign in Yemen is reportedly under discussion.
At the same time, diplomatic channels remain active. Trump’s announcement of direct talks with Tehran is being watched closely. Israeli leaders, however, are skeptical of any deal that doesn’t permanently dismantle Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
“This is not about freezing enrichment,” said a senior Israeli security analyst. “It’s about ensuring Iran never gets to the threshold.”
The Middle East stands at a dangerous crossroads. Iran’s proxies are emboldened. Israel feels isolated. The United States is divided between interventionism and strategic patience.
For now, a single missile near Ben Gurion Airport has set off a chain reaction—political, military, and psychological. Netanyahu, under pressure at home and abroad, is running out of options.
Retaliation appears inevitable. Whether it’s a limited strike on Houthi positions or a full-scale escalation into Iranian territory remains to be seen. But the stakes are high, and the room for error is shrinking fast.
As Netanyahu warned, “there will be bangs.” What follows could reshape the region for decades.
Sidebar: Historical Preemptive Strikes by Israel
Iraq, 1981 – Operation Opera saw Israeli jets destroy the Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad.
Syria, 2007 – Operation Outside the Box demolished a covert nuclear facility in Deir ez-Zor.
Iran, 2025? – A planned but postponed operation to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites may still be on the table
