Yemen's Houthis Claim Responsibility for Missile Launched at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport

File photo: Departing passengers roll their suitcases at the nearly deserted Ben Gurion airport in Lod, near the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, May 13, 2021. (AFP)
File photo: Departing passengers roll their suitcases at the nearly deserted Ben Gurion airport in Lod, near the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, May 13, 2021. (AFP)
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Yemen's Houthis Claim Responsibility for Missile Launched at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport

File photo: Departing passengers roll their suitcases at the nearly deserted Ben Gurion airport in Lod, near the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, May 13, 2021. (AFP)
File photo: Departing passengers roll their suitcases at the nearly deserted Ben Gurion airport in Lod, near the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, May 13, 2021. (AFP)

Yemen's Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile launched at Israel's Ben Gurion airport on Sunday, the group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement.
Saree reiterated a warning to airlines that the Israeli airport was "no longer safe for air travel".

A missile launched from Yemen towards Israel landed near Ben Gurion Airport, the country's main international airport, where footage shared on social media showed a plume of smoke visible from a passenger terminal.
The Israeli military said it was investigating the fall of a projectile launched from Yemen, which landed in the vicinity of the airport.
A Reuters reporter at the airport heard sirens and saw passengers reacting by running towards safe rooms.
Several people at the airport posted videos filmed on smartphones that showed a plume of black smoke clearly visible nearby, behind parked aircraft and airport buildings. Reuters has not verified the videos.
The Israeli ambulance service said there were no reports of serious injuries. A man and a woman with light injuries were being taken to hospital and two people were being treated at the scene for the effects of panic.
Airport authorities said the projectile had landed by a road near a Terminal 3 parking lot. One photo shared on social media showed a bend in a road covered in debris.
Yemen's Houthi group have been launching missiles at Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.



NATO: Ukraine Still Receiving Arms Despite Mideast War

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte via Reuters/File
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte via Reuters/File
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NATO: Ukraine Still Receiving Arms Despite Mideast War

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte via Reuters/File
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte via Reuters/File

Ukraine is still getting essential defense equipment despite the war in the Middle East, which is depleting stockpiles in Europe and the United States, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Thursday.

"The good news is that essential equipment into Ukraine continues to flow," he told reporters. That included American-made Patriot missile interceptors, which Ukraine desperately needs, he added, AFP reported.

The PURL program, launched last year, allows Ukraine to receive US equipment financed by European countries.

Some 75 percent of the missiles used by Patriot batteries in Ukraine have been supplied through the program, and 90 percent of the munitions used by other air-defense systems, Rutte added.

Rutte called on European countries to increase their own production capacity.

"They need to produce more extra production lines, extra shifts, opening new factories. The money is there," he said.


Germany FM Says 'Encouraging' if US Speaking Directly to Iran

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. (Reuters: File Photo)
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. (Reuters: File Photo)
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Germany FM Says 'Encouraging' if US Speaking Directly to Iran

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. (Reuters: File Photo)
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. (Reuters: File Photo)

Germany's foreign minister Thursday said it was encouraging if the United States was talking directly to Iran to end the war in the Middle East, but Washington should make its intentions clear.

"I hear that there are signs that the US is speaking directly to Iran. I think that this is encouraging and this is welcome," Johann Wadephul told reporters before heading into the meeting of G7 foreign ministers outside Paris, AFP reported.

With US Secretary of State Marco Rubio set to join the discussions from Friday, he added: "For the German government it is of great importance to know precisely what our American partners are intending."


US Envoy Witkoff Says Iran is Seeking an Off-ramp

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
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US Envoy Witkoff Says Iran is Seeking an Off-ramp

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

The United States has sent Iran a "15-point action list" as a basis for negotiations to end the current conflict, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said on Thursday, adding that there are signs that Tehran was interested in making a deal.

 

Witkoff, speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, said that the nascent talks could be successful if the Iranians realize there were no good alternatives - a realization Tehran might be coming to, he argued, Reuters reported.

 

"We will see where things lead, and if we can convince Iran that this is the inflection point with no good alternatives for them other than more death and destruction," Witkoff told reporters.

 

"We have strong signs that this is a possibility."

 

Witkoff said Pakistan had been acting as a mediator, confirming statements from Pakistani officials.