Yemen’s Houthis attacked Aden International Airport with ballistic missiles and explosive drones on Wednesday as fighting intensified between the Iran-aligned group and Saudi-backed government forces.
Yemen’s Transport Ministry said one missile landed near the airport runway only minutes before a flight from Cairo was due to arrive. Aden airport is the main international gateway for areas of Yemen outside Houthi control.
The latest fighting has centred on territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical shipping route that has become increasingly important for global energy flows as the wider conflict between the United States and Iran disrupts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces, supported by coalition air strikes, launched a counteroffensive this week aimed at retaking territory around Bab el-Mandeb and the port town of Mocha that the Houthis captured in September. It remains unclear whether government forces will be able to hold their gains.
The renewed violence has drawn Yemen deeper into the wider regional conflict and revived a war that has devastated the country for more than a decade.
More than 200,000 people have been displaced since the latest round of fighting began, according to the International Organization for Migration.
“People are running for their lives and finding nowhere safe to go,” IOM Director General Amy Pope said, calling for additional funding for food, shelter and other emergency assistance.
Both sides have reported hundreds of deaths in the recent fighting, although independent casualty figures remain unavailable. The United Nations says three out of four families in parts of Yemen are facing hunger.
The Houthis have also stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Saudi civil aviation authorities said one person was killed and eight others wounded in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, while two people were killed and 28 wounded in an attack on facilities at Abha airport.
Authorities said the attacks took place on Tuesday and Wednesday but did not specify which airport was targeted on each day.
The Saudi-led coalition said on Wednesday that it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh and was tracking the launch site in Houthi-controlled Sanaa.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had targeted King Khalid International Airport with several drones.
Fighting around Bab el-Mandeb
Fighting on Yemen’s western front remains concentrated around Dhubab district, which overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Pro-government forces are attempting to advance into strategic high ground east of the coastal plain, according to Yemeni military and government sources.
The Yemeni government said on Monday that its forces had reached Mocha, but military officials on the ground and analysts later said that claim appeared to have been premature.
A stronger Houthi position around Bab el-Mandeb could pose a major threat to international shipping and global oil flows, prompting Saudi Arabia to seek additional foreign support.
Türkiye is providing mainly defensive and technical assistance, according to two officials, after Ankara and Pakistan pledged to implement a collective defence commitment under their newly formed alliance.
Syria is also considering possible military assistance to Saudi Arabia, according to a US official and a Syrian military official familiar with the discussions.
Options under consideration include defensive support to help protect Saudi territory from Houthi attacks or the deployment of Syrian forces alongside Saudi-backed Yemeni troops.
The US official said Riyadh had asked Damascus to consider deploying forces against the Houthis.
A Syrian diplomat said Damascus stood firmly with Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks but added that Syria remained primarily focused on domestic reconstruction and recovery following its civil war.
The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting Saudi Arabia to lead a military coalition into the conflict the following year.
Riyadh and its allies accuse Iran of supplying the Houthis with weapons, training and funding. The group denies being part of Tehran’s regional proxy network and says it develops its weapons independently. Iran also denies the accusations.
