Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group claimed responsibility for a fresh missile strike on Aden International Airport on Friday, marking the second hit on the site in under seven days. According to France 24, two projectiles landed on the tarmac while a Yemenia Airways plane heading to Cairo was ready for departure. The Houthis stated they aimed at a weapons depot and a military command post in the Badr camp, with no immediate casualties reported at the airport site.
Earlier in the week, a combined missile and drone assault struck the presidential Maashiq Palace in Aden, the interim capital used by Yemen’s internationally recognized government. France 24 reported that at least five people died and 16 were injured in the Thursday attack, which triggered panic among residents. Yemen’s health minister confirmed the dead and injured included both security staff and civilian workers. The Houthis described the target as a military operations hub where Saudi troops were stationed, part of a broader strategy to strike Saudi infrastructure.
Simultaneously, Yemen’s armed forces announced that combined aerial and ground operations backed by the Coalition to Support Legitimacy had surpassed 17,000 since the launch of Operation Dawn of Yemen. Asharq Al-Awsat reported that over 1,250 strikes were executed in the previous 24 hours, neutralizing approximately 700 Houthi fighters and destroying more than 150 vehicles and pieces of military gear. The most intense combat focused on western Taiz, where government troops repelled a 12-hour Houthi assault near Jabal Han, and in Lahj province, where reinforcements were deployed to counter infiltration attempts.
The escalation has raised concerns over the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, particularly in the besieged city of Taiz. France 24 noted that the World Food Programme struggles to access over 600,000 aid-dependent residents in Taiz, while the International Committee of the Red Cross described the city as bearing some of the highest casualty loads in the country. Regional tensions have also impacted global energy markets, with Brent crude oil briefly hitting $110 per barrel on Friday for the first time since May, according to France 24.