Houthis Claim Aden Strike Amid Riyadh Airspace Control

Yemen’s Houthis said they targeted a Saudi position in Aden with a ballistic missile on Wednesday, while clashes continued elsewhere in the country. The reported target was near the airport, at a site belonging to forces in the Saudi-led military coalition fighting the Houthis.

The reported strike in Aden

“Our armed forces were able to target the Saudi enemy’s operations room in the Badr camp in Aden with a ballistic missile,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said. A police official in Aden, who spoke anonymously for security reasons, said an earlier blast “was caused by a Houthi missile.”

Two other security sources in the city told Agence France-Presse the attack hit a site near the airport belonging to forces from the Saudi-led coalition. Smoke reportedly rose near the airport. This was the third reported strike in a week against the seat of the Riyadh-backed government.

Earlier Friday, two missiles landed within the airport perimeter, and the Houthis claimed responsibility. A day earlier, the Houthis launched a deadly missile attack on Aden’s presidential palace, hitting command centers inside the al-Maashiq presidential compound. Government forces and the Saudi-led coalition use the compound.

The accounts describe repeated attacks on sites tied to the Saudi-led coalition and the Riyadh-backed government. The Houthis claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s missile attack; the police official and two security sources offered separate accounts of the blast and the reported target. Smoke near the airport was reported, but no casualty figure for Wednesday’s strike appeared in the article.

Fighting beyond Aden

Al-Jumhuriya TV reported renewed heavy clashes between Yemeni armed forces and Houthi fighters at the old airport and around Mount Han, west of Taiz city. The fighting took place as the internationally recognized government continued its military offensive against the Houthis in southwestern Yemen.

On Tuesday, the Yemeni army said it carried out 744 attacks against the group over 24 hours. The army said those attacks neutralized around 200 members and destroyed or damaged 90 vehicles and other military assets. The Yemeni army provided those figures.

Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognized Yemeni government have recently faced sustained Houthi attacks. The article said those attacks shifted the focus of the wider Middle East war, which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

Truce collapse and control of airspace

In July, a fragile 2022 truce collapsed after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, defying Riyadh’s control over Yemeni airspace. A series of attacks followed.

The Houthis later declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and attacked Saudi ships, territory and oil facilities. They also seized government-held territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline in a rapid campaign. Saudi Arabia’s air force has regularly targeted the Houthis in support of the Yemeni government.

The article reported attacks by the Houthis and the Yemeni army, along with Saudi air force strikes. It provided no further details about casualties or damage from Wednesday’s reported missile strike in Aden.