Houthi fighters have launched a series of attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and in Aden, the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government. The attacks came as intense fighting continued along Yemen’s front lines.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Yemen’s Transport Ministry said the Houthis had targeted Aden International Airport with two ballistic missiles. It described this as the fourth such attack this month, warning that the strikes threaten the safety of civil aviation and harm citizens who rely on the airport.
Aden airport and military sites reportedly hit
Yemeni authorities said the coastguard headquarters and a second building were also struck. The Houthis claimed their own attacks on the al-Nasr camp and Aden’s naval military base.
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The ministry’s warning focused on the wider impact on civilians. Officials said the disruption affects residents and the local economy, though they did not give further details.
Saudi civil defence warns of missiles toward Mecca and Medina
Saudi Arabia’s civil defence said on X that the Houthis had fired two ballistic missiles towards Mecca and Medina. It said the missiles were intercepted and warned of falling shrapnel. Images shared on X appeared to show a large, blackened, missile-shaped object that had landed somewhere in Saudi Arabia.
Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, called the attacks “heinous” and said they showed “a blatant disregard for the lives and security of civilians” in a statement on Saturday.
The Houthis rejected the claim that they targeted the two cities, which are the holiest sites in Islam, calling it a “huge lie”. They said their targets were three Saudi airports, oil infrastructure and an airbase. The group has repeatedly struck Saudi energy facilities and airports with long-range attacks since a fragile ceasefire agreed in 2022 collapsed in July.
Civilian casualties alleged amid government offensive claims
Yemen’s army said a Houthi missile malfunctioned and fell on a family home in Houthi-held Sanaa on Friday, killing three people. It said this was one of several missile malfunctions the Iran-backed group has experienced in recent weeks.
Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said on Saturday that Saudi-led coalition air strikes had killed several civilians in Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah. The claim could not be verified, and Riyadh has not commented on the alleged raids.
Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili said government forces had carried out more than 700 targeting operations across Yemen over the previous 24 hours. He said these had neutralised 300 Houthi fighters and disabled military vehicles. could not independently verify those figures. The spokesman added that the operations hit field command centres, Houthi gatherings, weapons depots and supply lines in Taiz, where clashes have been ongoing for days.
