Missiles Hit Aden Airport As Yemen Fighting Grows
Saudi air defenses reported interceptions near Mecca and Medina while Houthi forces claimed strikes on Saudi airports and oil infrastructure.
By Lorenzo Marshall ·
The Houthi movement launched a fresh round of attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia and Aden this weekend. [1, 2]
Aden International Airport was struck by two ballistic missiles on Saturday, Yemen's Transport Ministry said in a Facebook post. The ministry called it the fourth such incident this month and said the strikes threaten civil aviation safety. Coastguard headquarters and another building in Aden were also hit. The Houthis said they struck the al-Nasr camp and a naval military base in the city. [1]
Saudi Arabia's civil defence agency said on X that two ballistic missiles were launched toward Mecca and Medina, and warned of falling shrapnel after interceptions. Images from the Saudi Press Agency showed a large, blackened missile-shaped object on Saudi soil. The Houthis rejected the account, calling the claim that they aimed at the holy cities a huge lie, and said their intended targets were three Saudi airports, oil infrastructure, and an airbase. [2, 3]
A Houthi missile malfunctioned on Friday and crashed into a family home in Sanaa, killing three people, Yemen's army said. The military described it as one of several malfunctions in recent weeks. Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that Saudi coalition airstrikes killed several civilians in Sanaa and Hodeidah, a claim that was not independently verified. Riyadh has not commented on those alleged raids. [1]
GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi called the attacks heinous and said they showed disregard for civilian lives. [4]
On the ground, Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, a Yemeni army spokesman, said government forces carried out more than 700 targeting operations in the 24 hours ending Saturday. He said 300 Houthi fighters were neutralized and military vehicles disabled, though those figures were not independently verified. The operations focused on command centers, gatherings, weapons depots, and supply lines in Taiz. [5]
The 2022 ceasefire collapsed in July. Since then, Houthi long-range strikes have targeted Saudi energy infrastructure and airports across the kingdom. [6] Al Jazeera could not independently verify casualty figures from either side.
Source: Al Jazeera
