Daijiworld Media Network - Aden
Aden, Oct 7: Yemen's internationally recognised government has accused the Houthi group of targeting Aden International Airport with ballistic missiles and drones, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted another ballistic missile north of its capital Riyadh.
Yemen's Ministry of Transport said on Wednesday that the Houthis targeted the airport's runway and passenger terminal with at least two ballistic missiles and several drones. One missile reportedly landed near the runway shortly before a Yemen-bound flight from Cairo was due to land.
Authorities cancelled the landing of the incoming flight from Egypt and diverted it to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to protect passengers. The ministry also said the airport terminal was evacuated and two aircraft were moved from the tarmac during the attack.
The ministry warned that the incident could have resulted in a major humanitarian disaster had a civilian aircraft been caught in the attack.
Aden airport is the main international gateway for areas of Yemen controlled by the internationally recognised government. Aden has served as the government's seat since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
The Houthis, however, said they had targeted what they described as Saudi military supplies arriving at Badr camp near the airport using ballistic missiles. Saudi Arabia supports the Yemeni government.
Separately, the Saudi-led military coalition operating in Yemen said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi-launched ballistic missile north of Riyadh. Coalition spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki said Saudi forces had tracked the launch platform through an intelligence system over Sanaa and vowed to destroy it.
The Houthis had also claimed on Tuesday and early Wednesday that they targeted international airports in Riyadh and Abha.
The latest escalation comes amid heightened regional tensions following the US-Israel war on Iran. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have launched a counteroffensive against the Houthis to recapture the Red Sea port of Mocha and areas surrounding the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait.
Fighting has intensified in Yemen's southwestern Taiz province, with government forces seeking to gain control of strategic areas east of Mocha. Control of the surrounding mountains and highlands would provide a significant position overlooking the region and the Red Sea coast.
The escalation has also drawn wider regional attention. Pakistan and Turkiye agreed on Monday to activate "deterrence measures" under their mutual defence pact with Saudi Arabia and rapidly deploy forces to the Gulf kingdom in response to Houthi attacks.