Yemeni Strikes Cripple Cargo at Ben Gurion Airport and Disrupt Occupier’s Airspace

Ben Gurion International Airport recorded a sharp 12% drop in air cargo volumes in April 2025 compared to March—equivalent to a loss of approximately 4,129 cargo units—bringing total throughput down from 34,929 to about 30,800 units. This decline is directly attributed to coordinated Yemeni air and naval strikes targeting the airport’s infrastructure and disorienting the occupier’s airspace.

Cumulative data analysis indicates these losses stem not from isolated incidents but from a broader Yemeni strategy of comprehensive pressure on the occupier’s maritime and aviation gateways. European logistics companies, increasingly wary of being complicit in what they view as “genocidal” actions in Gaza, have scaled back shipments: Norway’s exports to Israel plunged by 89.3%, Greece’s by 56.7%, the Czech Republic’s by 50%, and Italy’s by 27% year-on-year for April.

A Greek Defense Ministry source confirmed that Yemeni operations specifically target air-freight firms supplying arms and munitions to the occupier, notably Silk Way Airlines, whose activity declined by 19.85%. Leaked intelligence accuses the carrier of illicit weapon and explosive transfers through routes via Ireland and other European states, with consignment values exceeding one billion U.S. dollars—justifying Yemen’s decision to neutralize its logistical role.

The Yemeni Armed Forces’ spokesman declared that the “air embargo” on Ben Gurion Airport will remain in effect as long as the aggression on Gaza continues, noting that most airlines and freight operators have complied, resulting in extensive paralysis of cargo operations and severe constraints on both commercial and military supply chains.

These strikes represent a strategic shift in regional rules of engagement, prompting European and Israeli policymakers to reconsider the viability of maintaining logistical ties with an entity unable to secure its airports or critical infrastructure. As the economic toll of the Gaza campaign mounts, Yemen appears determined to enforce a new equation: no security and no economy for the occupier so long as the assault on Gaza endures.