Houthis attack Aden airport with missiles and drones; Cairo flight diverted to Jeddah

Yemen’s internationally recognised government has accused the Houthis of firing ballistic missiles and drones at Aden International Airport early on Wednesday, forcing an incoming flight from Cairo to divert to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Al Jazeera reported.

In a statement, the Transport Ministry said the Houthis targeted the runway and passenger terminal with at least two ballistic missiles and several drones. One missile landed near the runway minutes before a Yemeni flight from Cairo was due to land; the landing was cancelled and the aircraft diverted to Jeddah to protect passengers. The ministry said the terminal was evacuated and two planes were moved off the tarmac during the attacks. No casualties were reported, according to the Aden security department’s media office, Reuters reported.

The Houthis said they had targeted “Saudi military supplies” arriving at the Badr camp near the airport, Al Jazeera reported. Aden airport is the main international gateway for government-held Yemen; the city has been the government’s seat since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

Separately, the coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile, with coalition spokesman Maj-Gen Turki al-Maliki saying the launch platform over Sanaa was being tracked by intelligence systems and would be destroyed. Reuters separately reported the coalition intercepted a Houthi missile launched towards the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait.

The strikes came as Saudi-backed government forces pressed a counteroffensive to retake the Red Sea port of Mocha and areas around the Bab al-Mandeb strait, with fighting concentrated in Taiz.