Houthis Strike Aden Airport as Yemen Fighting Escalates

Houthi forces launched ballistic missiles and explosive drones at Aden International Airport early Wednesday as fighting intensified between the Iran-aligned group and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.

Yemen’s Transport Ministry said one missile struck near the airport runway just minutes before a flight from Cairo was scheduled to land. Authorities diverted the aircraft to Jeddah and moved two planes away from the runway amid concerns over additional attacks. No casualties were immediately reported.

Aden International Airport serves as a key international gateway for areas of Yemen outside Houthi control.

The attacks came as Yemeni government forces, supported by Saudi-led coalition airstrikes, pressed a rapid counter-offensive along the Red Sea coast. The campaign aims to regain territory near the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the port city of Mocha. Government officials said the offensive pushed Houthi forces from areas they seized last month.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh. The coalition said it was tracking the missile’s launch platform in Houthi-controlled Sanaa and planned to destroy it.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree separately said the group targeted Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport with several drones. Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm that attack.

Earlier Wednesday, the coalition also reported intercepting a ballistic missile headed toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Saree said Houthi forces had targeted Abha International Airport and an airbase in Khamis Mushait using missiles and drones.

The renewed violence threatens to deepen Yemen’s long-running conflict. The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, prompting Saudi Arabia to lead a military intervention the following year. A UN-brokered truce in 2022 significantly reduced major combat but failed to produce a permanent political settlement.

Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of supplying weapons, training and funding to the Houthis. Both Tehran and the Houthi movement reject allegations that the group operates as part of Iran’s regional proxy network.