The Israel–Iran war lurched into a terrifying new phase tonight as Tehran fired a Khorramshahr‑4 ballistic missile directly at Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel’s main civilian gateway, forcing a total shutdown of the country’s air lifeline.

Air‑defence radars lit up just after midnight, detecting the launch from western Iran. Within seconds, sirens wailed across central Israel as the Khorramshahr‑4—a heavy, long‑range missile believed to carry a nearly one‑ton warhead—arched toward the Tel Aviv area at hypersonic speeds.

Israel’s Arrow and David’s Sling systems scrambled to engage. Military sources say at least one interceptor scored a “near‑kill,” fragmenting the missile over the coastal plain. But debris and sub‑munitions still rained down near the airport perimeter, triggering fires in an auxiliary fuel zone and shattering glass inside terminal buildings. No aircraft were hit, but terrified passengers were filmed diving to the floor as ceilings shook and alarms blared.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard quickly claimed responsibility, boasting that Ben Gurion was “entered into the target bank and hit,” and warning that “every runway used for aggression can be darkened.”

In Jerusalem, the war cabinet convened in an underground bunker. Israeli officials called the attack “a strategic crossing of every red line,” vowing a massive response against Iran’s missile brigades and command centers. All inbound flights have been diverted; outbound traffic is frozen “until further notice.”

Analysts warn that by openly aiming a Khorramshahr‑4 at a civilian airport, Tehran has escalated the conflict from brutal military confrontation to a total war on national infrastructure—leaving Israel, the U.S., and Arab states scrambling to decide how far they are now willing to go in return.