Houthi militia missiles struck the grounds of Aden International Airport in southern Yemen on Friday, marking the second attack on the facility in less than a week. The Aden Security Department confirmed the incident, noting that a Yemenia Airways flight bound for Cairo was preparing for takeoff at the time of the strike. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, and the Houthi militant group did not immediately claim responsibility for the action.
Simultaneously, the Saudi-led military coalition reported the interception of a ballistic missile directed toward the Red Sea city of Yanbu. As a vital Saudi oil hub, Yanbu allows the nation to export crude to international markets while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, an area currently facing heightened security concerns. Following the news of the attack, Brent crude prices briefly reached $110 a barrel for the first time since May, reflecting global market anxieties regarding potential supply disruptions due to the escalating conflict.
The coalition also announced that it had destroyed two cruise missiles over the Red Sea and three drones within Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Southern regions. The coalition did not specify who was behind these particular strikes. Earlier in the day, Saudi Civil Defense authorities issued alerts for the Jazan region and the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, where such warnings have increased in frequency since the resumption of hostilities last month.
The ongoing conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen's internationally recognized government, has sparked fears of a deepening humanitarian crisis. Aid agencies have warned that conditions within Yemen are deteriorating rapidly. The conflict, which began in 2014 when the Houthi militia seized the capital, Sanaa, evolved into a regional war involving US and Israeli interests that flared in February. After a 2022 truce held until this year, the Houthis have consistently targeted Saudi airports, oil facilities, and infrastructure, as well as government-held sites within Yemen, including the presidential palace in the interim capital of Aden.
