The Houthis (Ansar Allah) attacked Aden International Airport in southern Yemen. This attack, which utilized ballistic missiles and explosive drones, occurred on Wednesday morning and was carried out amid escalating clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi group.
Saudi Coalition Efforts to Retake Strategic Areas
The coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which is seeking to reclaim strategic areas captured by the Houthis, announced that it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. These attacks came after Yemeni government forces, with the air support of the Saudi coalition, launched a rapid counter-offensive to seize the Red Sea coasts around the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the city of Mokha.
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Humanitarian Consequences and Crisis in Yemen
The Yemeni government announced that this operation has forced the Houthis to retreat from areas they had captured last month, leading to an intensification of a 12-year war that has resulted in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. According to reports, one of the missiles landed near the runway of Aden International Airport, prompting officials to cancel the landing of a flight from Cairo and redirect it to Jeddah. Additionally, two planes on the runway were moved to safer locations due to fears of further attacks.
Aden International Airport is considered the main international gateway for parts of Yemen outside Houthi control. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated that the group targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with several drones, but no immediate confirmation has been released by the Saudis regarding this.
The Houthis, who control a large part of northern Yemen, seized the capital, Sana'a, in 2014, prompting a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia to intervene to prevent Iranian influence in Yemen and instability along its borders. A UN-mediated ceasefire in 2022 largely led to a halt in hostilities but did not result in a lasting agreement, and the escalation of tensions from the Iran conflict has led to a recent intensification of clashes.
The Saudi coalition also accuses Iran of arming, training, and financing the Houthis. The Houthis, who have presented themselves as emerging forces with missiles and drones that pose a threat to the region, deny any connection to Iranian proxy networks in the Middle East, claiming they develop their own weapons. Tehran has also rejected these accusations.
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