A Palestinian Arab driving a stolen vehicle arrived on Wednesday night at Ben Gurion Airport from Highway 1 and broke through the entrance barrier.
The security guard at the barrier, who was afraid he would be run over, pulled out his weapon and fired one bullet at the car. The driver then fled to a nearby gas station and abandoned the vehicle.
The suspect, a 35-year-old Arab resident of Judea and Samaria, was caught a short time later and handed over to the police for questioning.
It is believed the incident is criminally related.
Following the incident, the entrances and exits from the airport and the terminals were closed according to standard operating procedures.
The Israel Airports Authority said that all flights departed on time overnight, but there may be delays in departures scheduled for the morning.