Yemen’s Houthis launched missile and drone attacks against airports and military targets in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, including Aden International Airport, where an incoming passenger flight was diverted and the terminal evacuated, according to Houthi and Yemeni government accounts Wednesday.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said missiles struck recently arrived Saudi military supplies at Badr Camp, next to Aden International Airport, and caused casualties among Saudi officers. He provided no figures, and Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm the claim.
Yemen’s Transport Ministry separately said two ballistic missiles and several explosive drones targeted Aden airport before dawn. One missile landed near the runway minutes before Yemenia Airways flight 603 from Cairo was due to arrive, forcing authorities to redirect the aircraft to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Passengers and employees were evacuated, while two civilian aircraft on the ground were moved as a precaution. No casualties were immediately reported.
The ministry called the attack a “dangerous escalation” and urged the International Civil Aviation Organization and other international bodies to condemn attacks threatening civilian aviation.
Saree also claimed Houthi drones targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, disrupting flights. Other missiles and drones were directed at Abha International Airport, King Khalid Air Base near Khamis Mushait and three military camps in the Jazan and Asir regions. He claimed dozens were killed or wounded, but the figures could not be independently verified.
Saudi-led coalition air defenses intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh and another fired toward Khamis Mushait early Wednesday, according to coalition statements and the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki told SPA that missile threats were originating from Sanaa, Saada and Amran and said forces would continue targeting the weapons and their launch sites.
Saree separately claimed the Houthis downed a Saudi CH-4 armed reconnaissance drone over Al-Jawf province. The claim could not be independently confirmed.
Meanwhile, airstrikes hit Houthi-held Sanaa, Amran, Saada and Al-Jawf late Tuesday, according to Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, which described them as “Saudi aggression.”
The fighting marks the most significant escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia since a United Nations-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major hostilities in Yemen.
