Houthi missiles fall near Aden airport; Yemen hub resumes flights
In short
Two Houthi missiles fell in the area of Aden's international airport in southern Yemen, Reuters reported, and the city's security department said there were no casualties. Yemen's Transport Ministry said one missile landed near the runway minutes before a passenger flight from Cairo was to arrive. The airport later resumed operations, with a local airline flight to Egypt due to depart.
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Two missiles fired by the Houthis fell in the area of Aden's international airport in southern Yemen, Reuters reported, as cited by Kommersant. Aden's security department said there were no casualties. RIA Novosti had earlier reported the attack on the airport, citing media. [ 1 , 2 ]
Yemen's Transport Ministry said one of the missiles fell next to the runway a few minutes before a passenger flight from Cairo was due to land, according to TASS. TASS later reported that the airport had resumed operations, with a flight by a local airline to Egypt expected to depart shortly. [ 3 , 4 ]
Kommersant described the airport as a key international transport hub for the parts of the country controlled by government forces. Aden is the temporary capital of Yemen's central authorities, and the airport was used in December 2020 to receive members of a new government arriving from Saudi Arabia, the outlet noted. [ 2 ]
The strike comes after Yemeni president Rashad al-Alimi announced on 5 October the start of an operation to free the Houthi-held Red Sea coast and the capital Sanaa. The Houthi movement Ansar Allah responded by calling on airlines to avoid Saudi airspace, saying the sky would become a “theatre of military operations”, Kommersant reported. Government forces said that on the first day of the operation they retook, among other areas, the Zubab district, which had been used to site firing positions against commercial ships and warships. Political analyst Vladimir Sotnikov told the outlet that the operation had been prepared in advance and that Saudi Arabia is providing the government with logistical support and conducting aerial reconnaissance. [ 2 ]
Separately, the Saudi-led Arab coalition said it intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile launched towards the Saudi city of Khamis Mushait, while Houthi media reported Saudi strikes on targets between the Ibb and Taiz provinces. Kommersant noted that if the Houthis entrench in the coastal province they would gain a foothold for an advance on Aden and could tighten the blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, meaning the strike on the airport affects more than transport infrastructure. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
Aden is the temporary capital of Yemen's internationally recognised authorities and its airport is the main international link for government-held areas, so a strike there touches both transport infrastructure and the security of the government's base. The reported attack comes amid a government operation announced on 5 October to take back the Houthi-held Red Sea coast, an area that includes the Bab el-Mandeb approaches.
Key facts
- Two missiles fired by the Houthis fell in the area of Aden's international airport, according to Reuters, as cited by Kommersant [ 2 ]
- Aden's security department said there were no casualties [ 2 ]
- Yemen's Transport Ministry said one of the missiles fell next to the runway a few minutes before a passenger flight from Cairo was due to land [ 3 ]
- Aden airport resumed operations after the strike and a local airline flight to Egypt was expected to depart shortly [ 4 ]
- On 5 October, Yemeni president Rashad al-Alimi announced an operation to free the Houthi-held Red Sea coast and the capital Sanaa [ 2 ]
- The Houthi movement Ansar Allah called on airlines to avoid Saudi airspace, saying the sky would become a “theatre of military operations” [ 2 ]
- The Saudi-led Arab coalition said it intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile launched towards the Saudi city of Khamis Mushait, while Houthi media reported Saudi strikes on targets between the Ibb and Taiz provinces [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The extent of any damage at the airport beyond the area where the missiles fell The documents report the strikes and the absence of casualties but give no damage assessment
- The claim that the airport resumed operations and that a flight to Egypt would depart shortly Stated by one outlet, TASS, without attribution to a named official body
- Saudi Arabia's claim to have intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile towards Khamis Mushait Comes from the Saudi-led coalition alone, with no independent confirmation in the documents
- The Houthi media report of Saudi strikes on targets between Ibb and Taiz provinces Reported through Houthi media and not confirmed by any other source in the documents
- There were no casualties, according to Aden's security department Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yemeni president Rashad al-Alimi announces an operation to free the Houthi-held Red Sea coast and the capital Sanaa; Ansar Allah urges airlines to avoid Saudi airspace [ 2 ]
- RIA Novosti reports, citing media, that the Houthis attacked Aden airport [ 1 ]
- Kommersant reports that two Houthi missiles fell in the area of Aden airport, with no casualties according to Aden's security department [ 2 ]
- TASS reports, citing the Transport Ministry, that one missile fell next to the runway minutes before a passenger flight from Cairo was to land [ 3 ]
- TASS reports that Aden airport has resumed operations, with a local airline flight to Egypt due to depart [ 4 ]