Missile Strike Hits Aden Airport for Second Time in Less Than 10 Days
Yemen's port city of Aden experienced another missile attack on its airport Friday night, with officials blaming Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Two missiles struck the airport in Yemen’s port city of Aden on Friday night, police said, blaming Iran-backed Houthi rebels for the second such attack on the airport in less than 10 days. No casualties were reported in the incident.
The attack occurred as fighting escalates in Yemen, where the Houthis have targeted both neighboring Saudi Arabia and Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is backed by the kingdom.
This was the second major attack in Aden in two days. The Houthis killed at least five people on Thursday in a strike on a palace complex in Aden, the seat of the government.
An unnamed military official with the rebels told the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency that the group hit a military facility adjacent to the airport that houses a command center for Saudi-led forces fighting the rebels, as well as a weapons depot. The Houthis previously targeted the airport with two missiles on Oct. 7, also without casualties.
During Friday's attack, the missiles fell about 500 meters away from a Yemenia Airways airplane as it was preparing to take off. Passengers were quickly evacuated, according to a security official speaking on condition of anonymity.
Yemen’s transport ministry described the attack as part of a "systematic Houthi escalation targeting vital facilities and state assets," asserting that the rebels are determined to endanger civilians.
The surge in fighting began months ago amid tensions in the wider Iran conflict. The Houthis, angered by an attack on Sanaa airport and a longstanding blockade, declared their own blockade against Saudi Arabia.
Since then, the rebels have increasingly targeted airports and oil and military facilities in Saudi Arabia, disrupting flights and killing 19 people, including in attacks on the international airport in the capital, Riyadh, and the headquarters of Saudi oil giant Aramco.
The Houthis have also advanced down the Red Sea coast to control land on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping route. The Saudi-led coalition launched a major military offensive this month to dislodge the rebels from that strategic location and retake territory.