Updated 15 min 2 sec ago
October 7, 2026 22:19
IRAN‑BACKED Houthi forces struck Aden International Airport on Wednesday, firing two ballistic missiles and several drones at the facility. According to Yemeni government officials, the missiles landed close to the tarmac just minutes before a Yemenia Airways flight was scheduled to land. The Ministry of Transport condemned the assault, noting that it could have endangered dozens of passengers, airport staff, and travelers awaiting departures, including a flight to Jeddah. In response, inbound flights from Cairo were diverted to Jeddah and two aircraft were moved to a safer location as Houthi drones circled above the city.
The attack, the first on the airport in years, coincides with a sharp escalation in fighting between government forces and the Houthis. The United Nations migration agency reported that the total number of people displaced since the latest wave of violence began in August has surpassed 200,000, reaching 201,217 at the latest count.
Government officials described the strike as “a blatant attack on a vital civilian facility that ought to be a safe space for travelers and staff.” Mustafa Noaman, Yemen’s deputy minister of foreign affairs and expatriates, accused the Houthis of targeting one of the country’s few remaining departure points for students, medical patients, and other travelers. “The Houthi militias do not hesitate to use their diabolical arsenal of missiles and drones to destroy everything Yemenis have built and struggled for over decades,” he said.
Combat has intensified in several strategic areas. Near the Bab Al‑Mandab Strait, the Giants Brigades— a pro‑government militia—repelled a Houthi assault at Thubab airfield on the Red Sea coast, forcing the attackers to retreat and abandon two military vehicles. Since the government launched a large‑scale “Dawn of Yemen” counter‑offensive on Monday, the Giants Brigades have secured the main road linking Thubab district with Mokha, marking the first major territorial gain for government forces along the western coast in months.
Repeated Houthi attempts to reopen the road, seize Thubab airfield, or break the siege have failed despite heavy air support from the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen. Meanwhile, the Nation’s Shield Forces— a reserve unit under the presidential leadership council—announced an operation targeting Houthi positions in Al‑Wazi’iyah district, west of Taiz, as part of the broader “Dawn of Yemen” campaign. The forces later reported capturing the highest peak in Jabal Habashi and a chain of elevated positions overlooking Al‑Mansoura.
Yemeni army officers said the operation’s goal is to secure a mountain chain that overlooks the Red Sea coast. Expelling the Houthis from these heights would enable government troops to advance along the coast toward Mokha. In other parts of Taiz, fighting has escalated across multiple fronts, including the southern countryside, Jabal Habashi district, and the city’s outskirts. The last remaining road linking Taiz with government‑held areas has been blocked by combat, leaving the city effectively besieged.
Residents report rising prices for essential goods and fuel, and thousands of displaced people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. “The displaced people’s most urgent needs are food, water and cooking gas,” an aid worker told Arab News. “They are no longer concerned about shelter; they just want something to eat, even if they have to sleep in the open.”
Fears of being trapped or forced to flee again are growing as explosions rock the city. “The displaced people have already fled war zones and they are afraid of being targeted by the Houthis if they approach,” the aid worker added.
According to the UN’s International Organization for Migration, the displacement figure has risen sharply—from about 145,000 at the end of September and 76,000 in mid‑September—to 201,217. Taiz remains the governorate most severely affected, accounting for 57 percent of all displaced persons. “People are running for their lives and finding nowhere safe to go,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope in a statement.
