Houthi Missiles, Drones Hit Aden Airport as Flight Nears
The Facts
- Yemen's Transport Ministry said Houthi forces struck Aden International Airport with ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones on Wednesday, with one missile landing near the runway minutes before a flight from Cairo was due to arrive.
- Authorities canceled the Cairo flight's landing and diverted it to Jeddah, and two aircraft parked on the runway were moved over fears of further strikes — with no casualties reported. Aden's airport is the main international gateway for areas outside Houthi control.
- The Houthis said they had targeted Saudi military supplies at the Badr camp near the airport, with unspecified casualties, and warned against any military use of the civilian facility. Aden's local authority described the attack as an assault on a civilian site.
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The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Two ballistic missiles and several explosive drones were fired at Aden's airport, and one landed near the runway minutes before a flight from Cairo was due to touch down. Calling the target Saudi military supplies does not put the passengers back on the ground. Striking the main gateway into government-held Yemen, with hundreds of thousands already displaced, is an attack on civilians.
Establishment-critical narrative
Airports became targets when government forces backed by Saudi Arabia bombed Sanaa's runway to stop an Iranian flight from landing. The Houthis answered by striking Abha and now Aden in what was a hit on Saudi military supplies. Each strike closes another route in or out for Yemeni civilians, and the Saudi-led offensive aimed at retaking Sanaa makes more of them likely.
