Yemen's Transport Ministry announced that the country's Houthi group attacked Aden's international airport with ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones on Wednesday. The attack occurs as fighting intensifies between the Iran-aligned group and Saudi-backed government forces.
Fighting has recently centered around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a shipping route whose importance for energy exports has grown since the U.S.-Iran conflict restricted trade through the Strait of Hormuz. The fighting is a spillover from this wider regional tension.
This week, Yemeni government forces, supported by the Saudi-led coalition's air power, launched a counter-offensive to retake strategic territory near the strait that the Houthis had captured. However, it is uncertain if their advance will be sustained. These clashes have revived Yemen's complex 12-year war, which has led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
The Houthis have frequently targeted infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, including airports and oil facilities. On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition reported that it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed the group had targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with drones, though there was no immediate Saudi confirmation.
Regarding the strike on Aden, the Transport Ministry stated that one missile landed near the airport's runway just minutes before a flight from Cairo was scheduled to land. Authorities diverted the incoming flight to Jeddah for safety.
The conflict on the western front remains concentrated in the Dhubab district, which overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb strait, with pro-government forces attempting to advance in the strategic hills east of the coastal plain.
The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. This prompted a military intervention by the Saudi-led coalition, which feared the influence of its rival, Iran, in Yemen. The coalition accuses Iran of arming and funding the Houthis, but both the group and Tehran deny these allegations, with the Houthis stating they develop their own weapons.
Source: Yemen's Transport Ministry
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