Iran denies role in missile attack by Houthi rebels

Iran rejected accusations it's behind attacks by Houthi rebels, calling them "baseless".

Speaking at a regular briefing Monday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said a recent attack by the group against Israel was an "independent decision".

"The Yemeni people, because of their humane feelings and religious solidarity with the Palestinians, and also to defend themselves in the face of continuous aggression by America, have taken some measures. This is an independent decision and all accusations against Iran in connection with what Yemenis are doing are baseless," Baghaei said.

A missile launched by the Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen briefly halted flights and commuter traffic at Israel’s main international airport on Sunday after its impact near an access road caused panic among passengers.

The attack on Ben-Gurion International Airport came hours before Israeli Cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify military operations in Gaza.

The army was calling up tens of thousands of reserves, Israel’s chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the U.S. was supporting Israeli operations against the Houthis.

In a later statement, he said that Israel would respond to the Houthis “and, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters.”

Baghaei said any country from which an attack against Iran is initiated will be considered a legitimate target.

“If an assault is made against the Islamic Republic of Iran from any country’s soil, based on international law that spot will be considered a legitimate target,” he said.