Sanaa (AFP) - Yemen’s Huthis on Monday accused the United States of carrying out fresh strikes in and around Sanaa, after the Iran-backed rebels claimed a missile strike on Israel’s main airport.

The Huthi-run Saba news agency said the strikes included two on Arbaeen Street in the capital and the airport road, blaming them on “American aggression”.

Sixteen people were wounded, Saba cited the Iran-backed rebels’ health ministry as saying. The rebels’ Al-Masirah TV later reported another three strikes in Sanaa and seven in the northern governorate of Al-Jawf.

The accusations came after Israel said a missile fired from Yemen on Sunday struck inside the perimeter of Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv for the first time.

The Huthis claimed responsibility, saying they fired a “hypersonic ballistic missile” at Ben Gurion, Israel’s main international gateway.

The rebels “will work to impose a comprehensive air blockade on the Israeli enemy by repeatedly targeting airports, most notably… Ben Gurion Airport”, they said in a statement.

The missile gouged a wide crater in the ground near an airport parking lot, injuring six people and forcing airlines to suspend flights.

The Huthis, who control swathes of Yemen including the capital, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a tough response against the Huthis, as well as its main backer Iran, over the attack.

In a video published on Telegram, Netanyahu said Israel had “acted against” the Huthis in the past and “will act in the future”.

“It will not happen in one bang, but there will be many bangs,” he added, without elaborating.

On social media platform X, Netanyahu said Israel would also respond to Iran at “a time and place of our choosing”.

Hours later, the Huthis threatened to launch more such strikes and warned airlines to cancel their flights to Israeli airports.

- Iran denial -

Iran on Monday denied supporting the attack, calling it an “independent decision” by the Yemeni rebels taken in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Reacting to Netanyahu’s threats, the Islamic republic warned it would retaliate against any attack on its territory.

“Iran underlines (its) firm determination… to defend itself,” the Iranian foreign ministry said, warning Israel and the United States of “consequences”.

Following Sunday’s attack, an Israeli police video showed officers standing on the edge of a wide hole in the ground.

“You can see the area just behind us: a crater was formed here, several dozen metres wide and several dozen metres deep,” central Israel’s police chief, Yair Hezroni, said in the recording.

“This is the first time” that a missile has directly struck inside the airport perimeter, an Israeli military spokesperson told AFP.

Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said it had treated at least six people with light to moderate injuries.

An AFP journalist inside the airport during the attack said he heard a “loud bang” at around 9:35 am (0635 GMT), adding that the “reverberation was very strong”.

“Security staff immediately asked hundreds of passengers to take shelter, some in bunkers,” the journalist said.

- ‘Panic’ -

Flights resumed after being halted briefly, with the aviation authority saying on Sunday that Ben Gurion was “open and operational”.

On Monday, Israel’s security cabinet approved the expansion of military operations in Gaza including the “conquest” of the Palestinian territory, after the army called up tens of thousands of reservists for the offensive.

An Israeli official said the plan for expanded operations “will include, among other things, the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories, moving the Gaza population south for their protection”.

US strikes on Yemen’s Huthi rebels began under former president Joe Biden, but have intensified under his successor Donald Trump.