Aden (South24 Center)

Yemen’s Transport Ministry and Aden police said on Wednesday (October 7) that the Iran-aligned Houthi militia attacked Aden International Airport with two ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones before dawn, with one missile landing near the runway minutes before a civilian flight was due to touch down. No casualties were reported, according to initial information.

A security source told South24 Center early Wednesday that a missile attack had targeted the airport as Southern forces’ air defenses engaged hostile drones over Aden.

The Transport Ministry said one missile landed near the runway minutes before Yemenia flight 603 from Cairo was due to land with civilian passengers on board. Authorities cancelled the landing and diverted the aircraft to Jeddah.

The ministry said the attack also endangered airport employees and passengers awaiting a flight to Jeddah scheduled for 3 a.m. Two aircraft, one belonging to Yemenia and the other to Air Aden, were on the ground at the time.

According to the ministry’s statement, authorities evacuated passengers and staff from the terminal and moved both aircraft away from the danger zone after Houthi drones were spotted over Aden.

Aden police said the attack endangered passengers, airport workers and flight crews and threatened civil aviation safety. They said the relevant authorities had begun responding to the incident and strengthening security and preventive measures to protect the airport and its surroundings.

Police described Aden airport as a civilian facility serving people from across Yemen, particularly patients travelling for treatment, students and workers. They urged media outlets and social media users to verify information, rely on official sources and avoid circulating rumors, particularly concerning security procedures and airport operations.

In a separate statement, Aden local authorities said security agencies were on high alert and that conditions in the city remained stable and under control. They urged residents to remain calm and vigilant and rely on official information, saying the relevant institutions were monitoring developments and taking necessary measures.

The local authorities stressed that attacks on civilian infrastructure would not disrupt institutional and security operations or prevent security and military forces from protecting the city.

Yemen’s Human Rights Ministry condemned the attack, saying the targeting of Aden airport constituted a grave violation of international humanitarian law and undermined citizens’ rights to life and freedom of movement. It also said one missile had landed near the runway minutes before the Yemenia flight from Cairo was due to arrive.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, meanwhile, claimed the group had targeted “Saudi military supplies” at Badr camp near the airport with ballistic missiles, alleging that Saudi officers had been killed and wounded. 

Hours after the airport attack, Saree warned against what he described as the use of the civilian airport for military purposes.

The Transport Ministry called on the international community and organizations responsible for civil aviation, particularly the International Civil Aviation Organization, to explicitly condemn the attack and fulfil their responsibilities to protect airports, civilian facilities and commercial aviation from military targeting. It said it would continue taking measures to protect passengers, airport workers and flight crews and maintain air transport services.

The attack comes amid a broad military escalation across Yemen’s frontlines following the Southern forces’ offensive to retake areas near Bab al-Mandeb, alongside Houthi-announced attacks on airports and facilities inside Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said airports in Najran and Jazan were attacked on Monday evening, leaving three people injured and causing material damage.

Over the past two days, Saudi authorities announced the interception of a Houthi ballistic missile heading toward Khamis Mushait and the destruction of a depot containing 20 ballistic missiles at a mountainous site in Yemen’s Saada Governorate.

The Saudi cabinet said the Houthis had chosen military escalation over peace and reaffirmed its support for Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and government to end the Houthi coup. Reuters also reported on Wednesday that a Houthi ballistic missile had been intercepted and destroyed north of Riyadh.

Aden airport previously came under attack with three missiles on December 30, 2020, shortly after a flight from Riyadh arrived carrying then-Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and members of a newly formed government established under the Riyadh Agreement, with participation from the Southern Transitional Council. Cabinet members survived, but the attack killed 27 people, according to the toll cited in a subsequent UN Security Council resolution, while more than 100 were injured, according to the UN Panel of Experts. Three International Committee of the Red Cross employees were among those killed. Yemen’s government accused the Houthis of carrying out the attack, but the group denied responsibility at the time. 

The Security Council condemned that attack in the strongest terms in Resolution 2564, adopted on February 25, 2021, without explicitly attributing responsibility to the Houthis, and noted the Panel of Experts’ planned investigation. In its report published in January 2022, the panel concluded that the aircraft carrying the prime minister and cabinet members was the target and that the attack used guided, short-range ballistic missiles, most probably an extended-range version of the Badr-1 family used by Houthi forces.

The panel concluded with very high confidence that at least two missiles were launched toward Aden from Taiz airport and that two additional missiles were likely launched from a police training center in Dhamar. It confirmed that both launch sites were under Houthi control at the time and concluded that the attack violated international humanitarian law.