Yemen Fighting Spreads to Airports and Shipping Routes

The article reports intensifying fighting in Yemen between Iran-backed Houthi forces and Yemeni government forces supported by a Saudi-led coalition, while noting that claims from both sides are difficult to verify independently. The Houthis denied losing territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and said they retained their battlefield gains. They also claimed attacks on Saudi targets had killed or wounded 200 security personnel, while Saudi officials confirmed attacks on two airports but reported only three minor injuries. On Wednesday, the Houthis said they had targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile and disrupted air traffic; the Saudi-led coalition had earlier said it intercepted a missile north of the city. The Houthis also claimed to have targeted military supplies near Aden. Fighting was reported around Dhubab, a strategic town, as government forces sought to retake Houthi-held areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the port of Mocha. The conflict threatens a major route for global energy shipments, although Brent crude fell below $100 a barrel on Tuesday. The live update also covers related developments in the wider Iran war. A U.S. official said RAF Fairford in England faced Iran-linked threats intended to kill U.S. troops and destroy aircraft; U.S. bombers were removed from the base. British police arrested a seventh person in connection with a suspected plot, though details remain limited. Separately, Iran summoned France’s ambassador over alleged police violence against school protesters in France, amid strained relations between the two countries. The article also reports that most families of six U.S. soldiers killed in a March drone strike in Kuwait planned to skip a White House Gold Star families event. Some relatives called for transparency about the attack, while others criticized the administration’s handling of the event. The war, which began February 28, had killed 19 U.S. troops and wounded more than 800, according to the article.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed attacks on airports in Aden, Riyadh, Abha and nearby Khamis Mushait as fighting intensified between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces. Yemen’s Transport Ministry said ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones struck Aden International Airport, the country’s main international gateway outside Houthi control. A missile reportedly landed near its runway shortly before a flight from Cairo was due to arrive, prompting the plane to divert to Jeddah. Two aircraft on the runway were moved as a precaution. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree separately claimed that drones targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, though Saudi authorities had not confirmed an attack there. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed another ballistic missile north of Riyadh, tracing its launch to Houthi-controlled Sanaa. Saree also said the Houthis targeted Abha International Airport and an air base in Khamis Mushait; those claims were not immediately confirmed by Saudi authorities, and it was unclear whether they were connected to a missile intercepted near Khamis Mushait. The attacks took place amid a government counteroffensive along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Saudi-backed forces, supported by coalition air power, said they had driven the Houthis from areas around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the city of Mocha, which the rebels had captured the previous month. The article also reports a sharp rise in displacement. The International Organization for Migration said more than 200,000 people had been displaced by Wednesday, up from about 76,000 in mid-September after fighting erupted. The escalation is described as Yemen’s most serious since a UN-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022.

Yemen’s transport ministry said the Houthis attacked Aden’s international airport on Wednesday using ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones. The reported strike comes as fighting between the Iran-aligned Houthi movement and Saudi-backed government forces intensifies. In recent days, clashes have centered on areas near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategically important shipping route. The article notes that the strait has become more significant for energy exports after conflict between the United States and Iran restricted trade through the Strait of Hormuz. This week, Yemeni government forces, supported by air power from the Saudi-led coalition, began a counteroffensive aimed at retaking strategic territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and around the town of Mocha. The Houthis had captured those areas in September. The report says it remains unclear whether the government forces’ advance will hold, leaving the outcome of the counteroffensive uncertain. The article presents the airport attack as part of a broader escalation in Yemen, where control of territory near vital maritime routes is a key focus of the fighting. It does not provide details about damage or casualties from the attack, nor does it report a response from the Houthis. Its account is attributed to Yemen’s transport ministry and Reuters, and emphasizes the strategic importance of the area rather than offering a broader assessment of the conflict.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed they launched coordinated drone and ballistic-missile attacks at dawn on Wednesday against airports and military positions in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The claims included attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, Abha International Airport and a military base in Khamis Mushait, as well as strikes on Saudi military camps in Jizan and Asir. Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm all the reported airport targets. They did, however, report attacks across several locations, and Saudi state television said the Saudi-led coalition intercepted a ballistic missile headed for Khamis Mushait. The attack with the most immediate aviation impact was in Aden, where Yemen’s Transport Ministry said two ballistic missiles and several explosive-laden drones targeted the international airport. One missile landed near the runway shortly before Yemenia Airways flight 603, travelling from Cairo, was due to land. The plane diverted to Jeddah. Airport staff evacuated passengers and workers and moved two aircraft away from danger. No casualties were reported. Online videos and local reports described explosions near the airport, although accounts of damage and the reported missile launch locations were not independently verified. Houthi military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree said attacks on Saudi camps killed and wounded dozens of soldiers and officers and set fire to weapons depots; those claims could not be independently verified. The coalition said it was continuing operations against Houthi missile launch sites and weapons facilities. Its spokesman, Maj Gen Turki Al Malki, said coalition forces had destroyed a missile launch platform in Sanaa and a storage facility in Saada. The exchanges come amid renewed fighting following Houthi advances along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and a Saudi-backed government counteroffensive supported by coalition air strikes. The article also reports earlier attacks near airports in Jizan and Najran, temporary holds on flights to and from Riyadh, and Houthi-affiliated reports of Saudi strikes in Ibb and Taiz. The escalation raises concerns for civilian aviation and other infrastructure.

Al Jazeera reports that two missiles fired by Houthi forces targeted Yemen’s Aden International Airport on 7 October 2026. The report says video shows explosions near the airport. Yemen’s Saudi-backed government said the missiles were fired by Houthi forces, and the article reports that no casualties were recorded. The available text does not provide further details about damage, the missiles’ impact or intended targets, the circumstances of the launch, or any official response beyond the government’s statement. It also does not describe the video in detail or independently establish who fired the missiles; the attribution is presented as the government’s account. The article is a brief video-news item focused on the reported attack and its immediate human toll, rather than a broader account of the conflict or its political context. Its central facts are the two missiles, the airport near which explosions were shown, the government’s attribution to the Houthis, and the absence of reported casualties. No additional consequences or subsequent developments are stated in the supplied article text.