OMM Redaksiyası
Yemen’s Transport Ministry said the Houthis attacked Aden International Airport with ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones early Wednesday. The incident came as fighting intensified between the Iran-allied Houthis and government forces backed by Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh.
Tensions have risen after Yemeni government forces launched a counteroffensive this week with coalition air support. The operation aims to seize Red Sea coastal areas and the city of Mocha, near the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The Yemeni government said it had driven the Houthis out of areas they captured last month. The development marks a new phase in the 12-year conflict, which has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and divided the poorest country in the Arab world.
Flights delayed at Aden airport
According to the ministry, one of the missiles landed near the airport runway just minutes before a plane arriving from Cairo was due to land.
Authorities aborted the landing and diverted the aircraft to Jeddah. Fearing further strikes, airport staff also moved two planes on the runway away from the danger zone. The Houthis did not immediately comment on the incident.
Aden International Airport is the main international entry point for Yemeni areas not under Houthi control.
Missile and drone attacks near Saudi Arabia
The coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government said it had shot down a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh. The coalition said it had tracked the missile’s launch site over Sanaa and would destroy it, but gave no information about casualties or damage.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Wednesday, October 7, that the group had targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with several drones. Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm an attack on the airport.
The Houthis control much of northern Yemen. The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen after the group seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. Riyadh said it acted over concerns about Iran’s influence in the region and instability near its borders.
The coalition accuses Iran of arming, training and financing the Houthis. The group denies being part of Iran’s network of regional allies and says it manufactures its own weapons. Tehran also rejects the accusations.
Saudi state television reported that the coalition had earlier on Wednesday intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile heading toward Khamis Mushait in the country’s southwest.
In a separate statement, Yahya Saree said the Houthis had attacked Abha International Airport and an airbase in Khamis Mushait with ballistic missiles and drones. It was unclear whether those attacks were connected to the missile the coalition said it had intercepted near Khamis Mushait. Saudi officials did not immediately confirm an attack on Abha airport.
