A ballistic missile launched from Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthis struck near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport on Sunday, briefly grounding flights, halting train service and forcing the closure of access roads covered in debris.

The rare hit near Ben Gurion Airport came ahead of a vote by Israel’s security cabinet to expand ground operations in Gaza.

Israeli defenses tried but failed to intercept the missile fired by the Houthis in Yemen before it struck the airport, where it lightly injured several people and caused flights to be canceled for several hours. The Houthis, an Iranian proxy, have been firing on Israel for months, but their missiles have largely been destroyed before making impact.