Table Stakes - May 5th

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I’m Daniel, and welcome to Table Stakes!

Here’s a look at today’s topics:

• Houthi Rocket Attack Nearly Hits Israel’s Largest Airport

• New Possibilities Emerge Into Why Trump Dismissed Waltz From NSA

• Morocco Finds Difficulty Establishing ‘Normalization’ With Israel

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Houthi Rocket Attack Nearly Hits Israel’s Largest Airport

_{By: Daniel Murrah, Staff Writer for Atlas}

On May 4, 2025, a missile fired by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi insurgents hit close to Ben Gurion International Airport, briefly closing down Israel's main air transport center and heightening regional tensions. Coming just hours before Israel's security Cabinet was scheduled to decide on extending military operations in Gaza, where Hamas controls organized forces, the attack, the Houthis said, was in solidarity with Palestinians.

The missile caused no significant structural damage but did cause minor injuries to between four and eight people and a crater several meters wide near Terminal 3's parking area. The attack also caused a one-hour halt of road, rail, and flight services.

Israeli Reaction

The attack revealed a unique weakness in Israel's sophisticated missile defense system, which could not stop the approaching projectile. Israeli politicians reacted quickly to this defense failure; Defense Minister Israel Katz promised "sevenfold" reprisal against the Houthis.

While tens of thousands of Israeli reservists were called up before the anticipated offensive in central Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly called security officials to devise responses. Already active in Gaza are three Israel Defense Forces divisions; activities will be expanded following the Cabinet resolution.

The most recent in a string of three straight days of assaults, the Houthi missile strike has given political impetus to Israeli hardliners advocating for more military action. Despite the existing terrible humanitarian condition, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir allegedly called for strikes on Gaza's "food and electricity supplies" in reaction to the airport attack.

Germany's Lufthansa has already reacted quickly internationally by cancelling flights to Tel Aviv until May 6. Several other international airlines followed suit, isolating Israel even more as regional tensions rise on many fronts.

General Geopolitics

The Houthis' capacity to attack Israel's main civilian airport shows their increasing military strength in spite of a $1 billion U.S.-led operation against their assets in Yemen. The group said the attack used a ballistic missile with "stealth technology"; independent sources have not confirmed these claims.

Iran's ongoing backing of proxy organizations fighting Israel—including the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah—has produced a complicated, linked war scene all throughout the Middle East. The assault highlights the difficulties to Israel's air defense system, which has been fundamental to U.S.-Israel security cooperation.

The missile attack has also changed the diplomatic attention of the world from Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe to regional security issues. Resources first set aside for Gaza rebuilding are being more and more redirected to missile defense systems like the U.S.-funded Iron Dome and Arrow programs.

Israeli authorities claim the Houthi attack justifies rejecting concessions, hence adding complexity to stalled talks between Israel and Hamas mediated by Qatar. This distracts from the urgent humanitarian needs of Gaza, where Palestinian health authorities say hundreds have died since Israel restarted airstrikes in March.

Humanitarian Consequences

Although presented as solidarity with Palestinians, the Houthi attack could worsen Gaza's already terrible humanitarian state. In March 2025, Israel intensified its Gaza embargo, drastically restricting medical supplies, food, and water; a strategy that might be strengthened after the missile strike.

Since March, United Nations authorities believe more than 57 Gaza civilians have perished from hunger. With around 85% of Gaza's inhabitants now forced from their homes, the continuing siege has devastated hospitals, sanitation systems, and power networks.

Emphasizing the continuing civilian cost of the war, a family of four—two toddlers among them—was said to have died in an Israeli bombing in southern Gaza on the day of the missile strike. Tightening access limits have led aid groups to say that supplies are accumulating at Gaza's borders.

Though meant to convey unity, the Houthi attack has accidentally given Israel political license to escalate its Gaza offensive. Growing regional tensions might turn Gaza's humanitarian crisis into a long-running disaster with less global notice.

Israel's increased activities and possible embargo extension will probably aggravate disease outbreaks and hunger in Gaza. As Israel's attention turns to multi-front dangers from the Houthis and Hezbollah, Hamas's capacity to negotiate prisoner swaps or access to aid declines.

Overcrowding and lack of gasoline threaten Gaza's last hospitals and UN shelters. As both sides dig in a circle of conflict that keeps killing civilian lives, the missile attack marks yet another blow to truce prospects.

The Houthi missile strike has introduced yet another unstable factor to an already complicated regional war as Israel's security Cabinet gets ready to decide on extending military operations in Gaza, where people in Gaza still carry the most weight of rising hostilities..

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