Aden airport reopens after Houthi missile and drone attack

Aden airport reopened on Wednesday after a Houthi strike with missiles and drones forced a Cairo passenger flight to turn away to Jeddah.

Yemen’s Ministry of Transport said one missile landed close to the runway only minutes before the Cairo flight was due to touch down. Authorities then sent the plane to Jeddah instead. As a precaution, staff left the terminal, while two aircraft parked at Aden airport moved to safer spots. Officials reported no casualties.

The media office of the city’s security department said the Houthis fired two missiles at the airport early on Wednesday. In a statement condemning the strike, the ministry said it endangered travellers, airport employees and aircrews. Travellers from parts of Yemen beyond Houthi control rely on Aden International Airport as their main route abroad.

Hours later, the Houthis gave their own account of the strike. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group fired ballistic missiles at Saudi military supplies that had just arrived at Badr Camp, beside Aden airport. Posting on X, he said the strike left casualties among Saudi officers, without giving a number. He also warned Saudi Arabia not to use the airport for military purposes. Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm the claim.

The Houthis also said they had launched a new wave of missile and drone attacks on airports and military sites across Saudi Arabia. Saree claimed the group targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. However, Riyadh offered no immediate confirmation of that strike. Separately, the coalition said its air defences stopped a ballistic missile that the Houthis fired toward an area north of the Saudi capital.

Earlier in the day, coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Malki said forces had brought down another ballistic missile heading for Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia. He said the threat came from Houthi-held areas, including Sanaa, Saada and Amran. Al-Malki also said the coalition was relying on surveillance systems over Sanaa to find and destroy missile launchers.

The strike on Aden airport came as fighting escalated along Yemen’s western coast. Backed by coalition air power, government forces have pressed a counteroffensive since the Houthis seized ground along the Red Sea coast last month. Its targets include ground near the Bab al-Mandab Strait as well as Mocha, a port city. According to government officials, the offensive has driven Houthi fighters out of areas they captured last month.

West of Taiz, heavy clashes also broke out along the al-Waziiya front. Forces backed by Saudi Arabia reportedly seized Jabal al-Mansoura, a strategic stretch of high ground. It overlooks routes leading to Dhubab and the land around Dhubab Airport. Yemeni government sources said their troops still hold the coastal area of Dhubab, despite repeated Houthi missile fire.

The Houthis, for their part, said they pushed back several government advances toward the strait. Saree claimed the group fired 10 ballistic missiles at gatherings of government troops and reinforcements, causing casualties. In another statement, the Houthis said Saudi Arabia carried out 66 attacks over 24 hours, using fighter jets, armed drones and missiles. They also said Saudi warplanes struck Sanaa overnight, along with Amran, Al-Jawf and Saada.

Residents of Sanaa, the capital, reported hearing explosions early on Wednesday. Saree also claimed his fighters downed a Saudi surveillance drone above Al-Jawf.

Reports also say Riyadh is planning a wider offensive against the Houthis. Under that plan, Yemeni forces would lead the ground fighting, with Saudi air power and intelligence in support.

Riyadh accuses Iran of arming, training and funding the Houthis. Both Tehran and the Houthi movement deny that the group is part of a proxy network run by Iran.

The conflict dates back to late 2014, when Houthi fighters captured Sanaa along with much of northern Yemen. A year later, a Saudi-led coalition stepped in to back the internationally recognised government, which now operates from Aden. In 2022, a truce brokered by the UN sharply cut major fighting. Still, it never produced a lasting political settlement.

The renewed violence could deepen Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and threaten aviation, shipping and energy supplies across the region. Oil prices rose on Wednesday amid wider worries about security in the Middle East. For now, flights at Aden airport have restarted, but both sides have signalled that more attacks may follow.