ADEN, Yemen - Two missiles struck the grounds of Aden International Airport on Oct. 16 as a Yemenia Airways aircraft prepared to leave for Cairo, Yemeni officials said. Passengers and crew were not injured.
Yemen’s information minister, Moammar al-Eryani, said the missiles exploded about 500 meters (1,640 feet) from the aircraft. The plane was evacuated after the strike.
Aden police blamed the Iran-backed Houthi movement. No deaths or injuries were reported in the airport attack.
Houthis Say Military Site Was Targeted
The Houthi-controlled SABA news agency, citing an unidentified military official, said the strike targeted a facility near the airport that it described as a command center for Saudi-led forces and a weapons depot, according to The Associated Press.
There was no independent confirmation of the facility’s alleged military role.
The attack followed a Houthi strike on Aden’s Al-Maashiq presidential compound on Oct. 15. At least five people were killed and 16 others were wounded in that assault, according to the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which said its officials continued working in the city.
Saudi Coalition Reports Wider Interceptions
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said air defenses also intercepted a ballistic missile headed toward Yanbu, two cruise missiles over the Red Sea and three drones over southern Saudi Arabia and the Riyadh region.
The coalition did not identify who launched those weapons. No damage to Yanbu’s oil facilities or disruption to exports was reported.
Yanbu is strategically important because Saudi Arabia can move crude oil by pipeline from its eastern fields to the Red Sea port, allowing exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Security along that route has taken on greater importance amid threats to shipping in and around the Persian Gulf.
Sources: Vesti Baku; The Associated Press; Reuters; Anadolu Agency.