Missiles Land Near Aden Airport Runway as Yemen's Civil War Escalates

Two missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels hit near the airport in the port city of Aden on Friday, close to a passenger plane preparing to take off, according to Yemeni officials. Police told ABC News and The Associated Press that no casualties were reported. Yemen's government said all passengers and crew were safe.

It was the second major attack on Aden in two days. The Houthis killed at least five people on Thursday in a strike on a palace complex in the city, which is the seat of Yemen's internationally recognized government, ABC reported.

What officials say happened at the airport

Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said the missiles landed near the runway at Aden International Airport, about 500 meters from the aircraft. ABC reported the plane was operated by Yemenia Airways. A security official, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to brief the media, told ABC that passengers were quickly evacuated.

Al-Eryani wrote on X that "divine providence" had averted a humanitarian catastrophe, and he called the attacks a grave violation of international law. Yemen's transport ministry described the strike as part of a systematic Houthi escalation against vital facilities and state assets.

Police said it was the second such attack on the airport in less than 10 days. The Houthis fired two missiles at the airport on Oct. 7, and officials reported no casualties then, ABC said.

What the Houthis say

The Houthis gave a different description of the target. An unnamed military source told the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency that the group hit a military facility next to the airport, according to ABC. The facility reportedly houses a command center for the Saudi-led forces fighting the rebels, along with a weapons depot. Al Jazeera, citing AFP, said the Houthi statement named the Saudi forces' command headquarters in the Badr camp in Aden province.

Fighting on other fronts

Al Jazeera reported that Yemeni government forces claimed gains in the eastern part of Marib province, northeast of Sanaa. Military spokesman Majed al-Nazili said troops, backed by air support, secured key positions. He said government forces had neutralized more than 430 Houthi fighters in 24 hours and destroyed or disabled more than 100 vehicles and military assets. These figures come from the government and were not independently verified in the reports.

In Taiz governorate, government forces said they repelled several large-scale Houthi attacks and captured a Houthi drone team. Al Jazeera reported that in recent weeks the Houthis have encircled the city of Taiz, Yemen's third largest urban center, by cutting its main road south to Aden. That has caused widespread displacement and deepened a humanitarian crisis.

The Saudi-led coalition also said it downed missiles and drones over Riyadh and other parts of Saudi Arabia on Friday. Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of encouraging Houthi attacks, including by arming and training the group. Iran's Foreign Ministry rejected that on Friday, saying Tehran had no role in any Houthi operation, and it repeated an offer to mediate between the Houthis and Riyadh.

How the conflict got here

The war began in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and forced the government to flee. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015. A UN-backed truce in 2022 halted most of the fighting, but tensions rose again after the Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi ports and of shipping passing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in July.

ABC reported that the Houthis acted after an attack on the Sanaa airport, which they control, and in response to a longstanding blockade on the rebels. In September, the Houthis pushed government-aligned forces out of the Red Sea port of Mocha and seized territory along the western coast and the strait, including Mayyun Island, Al Jazeera reported. ABC said the Saudi-led coalition launched a major offensive this month to retake that territory.

Why it matters beyond Yemen

Air travel is directly exposed. According to ABC, Houthi attacks on airports and on oil and military sites in Saudi Arabia have disrupted thousands of flights and killed 19 people, most of them in attacks on Riyadh's international airport. A missile landing near a loaded passenger plane in Aden shows the same risk now reaches Yemen's government-held south.

Energy and shipping are also affected. ABC reported that the Houthis struck the headquarters of Saudi oil company Aramco, and that the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran is threatening. The news agency said global markets have been rattled again.

For Yemenis, the cost is more immediate. ABC noted that civilians in places such as the besieged city of Taiz continue to suffer as the fighting spreads.

Sources: Al Jazeera, ABC News