MIDDLE EAST
2 min read
Houthi projectiles hit Aden airport as Saudi-led coalition intercepts missile headed for Yanbu
Yemen’s internationally recognised government says two missiles from Houthi militia struck Aden International Airport in southern Yemen. Meanwhile, Saudi-led coalition says it destroyed cruise missiles and drones headed for Saudi regions.
Houthi projectiles hit Aden airport as Saudi-led coalition intercepts missile headed for Yanbu
Yemeni government forces have launched a counteroffensive with Saudi air support to retake areas seized by the Houthi militia. / TRT World

Houthi militia missiles have struck Aden International Airport in southern Yemen, while a Saudi-led military coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile headed for the Red Sea city of Yanbu, a key Saudi oil hub that allows exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

The coalition said on Friday it had also destroyed two cruise missiles over the Red Sea and three drones in Saudi Arabia's Southern and Riyadh regions. It did not identify those behind the attacks.

In Aden, two missiles launched by Houthi militia landed on the airport grounds, the Aden Security Department said. It said the incident was the second attack on the facility in less than a week.

The Houthi militant group did not immediately claim responsibility.

No casualties were reported. A Yemenia Airways flight bound for Cairo was preparing for takeoff when the missiles landed, the security department said.

Yanbu is a key outlet for Saudi oil exports, allowing the country to ship crude to international markets via the Red Sea without passing through the Strait of Hormuz, where heightened regional tensions and security threats have raised concerns over the safety of shipping.

Brent crude briefly touched $110 a barrel on Friday for the first time since May, as worries over escalating Middle East tensions raised concerns about tighter global supplies.

Saudi Civil Defense authorities earlier issued alerts in the Jazan region and the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, where such warnings have become frequent since fighting resumed last month.

RelatedTRT World - Iran rejects Saudi statements over Houthi attacks and repeats mediation offer

Humanitarian crisis in Yemen

Fighting between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's internationally recognised government has raised fears of a further deterioration in the country's humanitarian crisis.

Aid agencies have warned that conditions are worsening rapidly.

The Yemen conflict has become another front in the wider regional war that began with US and Israeli war on Iran in February.

Yemen's war began in 2014, when the Houthi militia seized the capital Sanaa. A Saudi-led intervention began the following year, leading to years of stalemate before a 2022 truce that held until this year.

The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia since the conflict reignited, targeting airports, oil facilities and other infrastructure.

In recent days, the militant group has also targeted sites in government-held parts of Yemen, including Aden airport and the presidential palace in the interim capital.

SOURCE:TRT World and Agencies