Houthis Escalate Attacks on Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Government Seat in Aden

Yemen's internationally recognised government has reported that Aden Airport has been subjected to Houthi attacks four times this month. Houthi fighters have launched a series of assaults targeting locations in Saudi Arabia and Aden, the base of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

In a statement released on Facebook on Saturday, Yemen's Transport Ministry condemned what it termed the Houthis’ targeting of Aden International Airport with two ballistic missiles, labelling it the “fourth such attack this month.” The ministry cautioned that these airport attacks pose “a threat to the safety of civil aviation” and carry “humanitarian and economic repercussions for citizens” who depend on the airport.

Yemeni authorities also stated that the coastguard headquarters and another building were struck. The Houthis, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for attacks on the al-Nasr camp and Aden’s naval military base.

Yemen’s army reported that a Houthi missile malfunctioned and fell on a family home in Houthi-controlled Sanaa on Friday, resulting in three fatalities. The army attributed this to a pattern of missile malfunctions observed recently with the Iran-backed group.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported on Saturday that Saudi coalition air strikes resulted in civilian casualties in Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah. This claim could not be independently verified, and Riyadh has not issued any comment on the alleged raids.

Separately on Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s civil defence announced via X that the Houthis had fired two ballistic missiles towards Mecca and Medina, warning of potential shrapnel fall following their interception. Images circulated on X by the Saudi Press Agency appeared to show a large, dark, missile-shaped object that had landed within Saudi Arabia.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, denounced the Houthi attacks as “heinous,” stating they demonstrate “a blatant disregard for the lives and security of civilians” in a statement released on Saturday.

The Houthis denied targeting Mecca and Medina, calling the claim a “huge lie” and asserting their targets were three Saudi airports, oil infrastructure, and an airbase. The group has consistently targeted Saudi energy facilities and airports nationwide with long-range strikes since a temporary ceasefire agreed in 2022 collapsed in July.

Intense fighting persists on Yemen’s front lines, with the Houthis engaged in conflict against forces of the internationally recognised government for control of critical territories. On Saturday, Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili stated that government forces conducted over 700 “targeting operations” in the past 24 hours across Yemen, “neutralising” 300 Houthi fighters and disabling military vehicles. Al Jazeera could not independently verify these figures. The spokesman added that operations targeted field command centres, Houthi concentrations, weapons depots, and supply lines in Taiz, where fierce clashes have been ongoing for several days.