Houthi rebels in Yemen have fired a missile at Israel hours after a wave of Israeli airstrikes hit Yemen’s main airport as the World Health Organization’s director-general was about to board a flight there.

The Pentagon announced it would be deploying its THAAD battery to Israel, along with roughly 100 soldiers, to operate it in an effort to bolster Israel's air defence system amid fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.

In response, Houthi forces targeted Israel's Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv with a hypersonic missile early Friday morning, the Houthis said in a statement. The missile was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.