ADEN — Yemen’s internationally recognised government has accused the Houthis of firing ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones at Aden’s international airport.In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Transport said the Houthis targeted the runway and passenger terminal at the airport with at least two ballistic missiles and several drones.“One of the missiles landed near the runway minutes before the Yemeni flight from Cairo was to land,” it said. “We cancelled the landing of the incoming flight from Cairo and diverted its route to Jeddah to protect the passengers.”The ministry also said it evacuated the airport terminal and removed two planes from the tarmac during the attacks.It added, “This incident could easily have turned a civilian flight into a horrific humanitarian disaster, claiming the lives of dozens of innocent people in an instant.”Aden airport is the main international gateway for parts of Yemen outside Houthi control since the takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by the Iran-supported group in 2014.The Houthis said in a statement they targeted “Saudi military supplies” arriving at the Badr camp near the airport with ballistic missiles. Separately, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen said it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile, launched by the Houthis, north of Riyadh.In a social media post, Major-General Turki al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, said it was tracking the launch platform used in the attack via an intelligence system over Sanaa, and promised to destroy it.The intensified fighting in Yemen comes amid mounting regional tensions set off by the US-Israel war on Iran. The Saudi-backed government forces launched a counteroffensive against the Houthis to retake the Red Sea port of Mocha and areas around the Bab al-Mandeb strait.Fighting on the western front remains concentrated in the Dhubab district overlooking Bab el-Mandeb, with pro-government forces attempting an advance in the strategic hills to the east of that coastal plain, Yemeni military and government sources said. Fierce clashes have taken place, with the Houthis claiming they have repelled attacks.Pakistan and Turkey on Monday agreed to activate “deterrence measures” under their mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia and rapidly deploy forces to the Kingdom to counter Houthi attacks.ADEN — Yemen’s internationally recognised government has accused the Houthis of firing ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones at Aden’s international airport.In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Transport said the Houthis targeted the runway and passenger terminal at the airport with at least two ballistic missiles and several drones.“One of the missiles landed near the runway minutes before the Yemeni flight from Cairo was to land,” it said. “We cancelled the landing of the incoming flight from Cairo and diverted its route to Jeddah to protect the passengers.”The ministry also said it evacuated the airport terminal and removed two planes from the tarmac during the attacks.It added, “This incident could easily have turned a civilian flight into a horrific humanitarian disaster, claiming the lives of dozens of innocent people in an instant.”Aden airport is the main international gateway for parts of Yemen outside Houthi control since the takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by the Iran-supported group in 2014.The Houthis said in a statement they targeted “Saudi military supplies” arriving at the Badr camp near the airport with ballistic missiles. Separately, the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen said it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile, launched by the Houthis, north of Riyadh.In a social media post, Major-General Turki al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, said it was tracking the launch platform used in the attack via an intelligence system over Sanaa, and promised to destroy it.The intensified fighting in Yemen comes amid mounting regional tensions set off by the US-Israel war on Iran. The Saudi-backed government forces launched a counteroffensive against the Houthis to retake the Red Sea port of Mocha and areas around the Bab al-Mandeb strait.Fighting on the western front remains concentrated in the Dhubab district overlooking Bab el-Mandeb, with pro-government forces attempting an advance in the strategic hills to the east of that coastal plain, Yemeni military and government sources said. Fierce clashes have taken place, with the Houthis claiming they have repelled attacks.Pakistan and Turkey on Monday agreed to activate “deterrence measures” under their mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia and rapidly deploy forces to the Kingdom to counter Houthi attacks.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels attack Aden airport
