Yemen's Houthis attacked Aden airport on Wednesday 28 October, hours after warning people to evacuate the facility, in a sharp escalation of fighting in the country's south. Yemeni government forces said the attack caused injuries among civilians and material damage. Air traffic was halted after the strike, according to two transport ministry officials, and residents said they heard an explosion near the airport. The International Organization for Migration said its personnel travelling through Aden were safe and accounted for after reports of the attack.

A warning, then a strike

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree had posted the evacuation warning on X, saying it was prompted by what he said was the presence of a Saudi military cargo aircraft delivering weapons. There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities, and that weapons claim has not been independently verified. Residents said explosions had also been heard elsewhere in the city before the warning. An aid source said some United Nations staff left the airport shortly before the attack, and a flight carrying aid workers departed safely for Amman on Wednesday morning. Aden is where Yemen's internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government is based, and its airport is a humanitarian lifeline and the main gateway to southern Yemen.

A new front in a wider war

The Houthis, who control Sanaa and most of north-western Yemen, have repeatedly targeted Aden airport. Fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition has intensified in recent weeks, opening a volatile new front in the wider US-Israeli war on Iran. Last month, Houthi forces advanced towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategically vital shipping route. An attack on a civilian airport in the government's seat underlines how far the conflict has spread, and how exposed Yemen's humanitarian routes now are.

Sources: Reuters via SRN News, Reuters evacuation-warning report.