By Naeema Saleem — SCN News
ADEN, Yemen — Yemen's Houthis launched missiles and drones toward Aden International Airport as fighting intensified between the Iran-aligned group and forces supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government, widening a conflict that is again threatening civilian infrastructure and strategic areas around the Red Sea.
A missile landed near the airport runway shortly before a passenger flight arriving from Cairo was due to land, prompting authorities to divert the aircraft to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Two aircraft already at the airport were also moved as a precaution amid concern that additional strikes could follow. No major casualties were immediately reported from the airport attack.
Aden serves as the main base of Yemen's internationally recognised government and its airport is one of the country's most important civilian aviation facilities. The attack came as government-aligned forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, pressed operations against Houthi positions in western Yemen, with some of the heaviest fighting concentrated around Dhubab, Mocha and approaches to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Houthis also launched missiles and drones toward targets in Saudi Arabia as the fighting expanded beyond Yemen's borders. Saudi forces intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh, while the Houthis said they had targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital as well as Abha airport and military facilities near Khamis Mushait.
The renewed cross-border attacks mark a sharp deterioration after years in which large-scale fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition had declined significantly. A United Nations-brokered truce in 2022 reduced major hostilities but failed to produce a comprehensive political settlement, leaving Yemen divided between rival authorities and heavily armed factions.
Government-aligned Yemeni forces have been attempting to regain territory along the Red Sea coast after recent Houthi advances increased pressure around Bab el-Mandeb. The narrow waterway connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a crucial route for vessels travelling between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal.
Control of territory surrounding the strait has significant military and economic importance. Forces operating from Yemen's western coastline can potentially threaten commercial vessels entering or leaving the Red Sea, making the battle around Dhubab and nearby areas relevant far beyond Yemen's borders.
The escalation comes at a particularly sensitive moment for global energy markets, with Middle East tensions already putting pressure on oil prices and shipping. Brent crude has traded above $100 a barrel as investors assess risks to regional supply routes, while instability around Bab el-Mandeb could further increase insurance, fuel and transport costs for vessels using the Red Sea corridor.
Shipping companies have previously diverted vessels around Africa's Cape of Good Hope when security conditions in the Red Sea deteriorated. Such diversions add thousands of miles to some journeys and increase fuel consumption, transit times and freight costs, potentially affecting supply chains between Asia and Europe.
Saudi Arabia, which intervened militarily in Yemen in 2015 after the Houthis seized Sanaa and expanded southward, has provided support to forces fighting the group. Riyadh later pursued negotiations aimed at reducing cross-border attacks and finding a political route out of the conflict, but the latest fighting has again exposed Saudi territory to Houthi missiles and drones.
The Houthis have developed a substantial arsenal of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and long-range attack drones during more than a decade of conflict. Saudi Arabia and Western governments accuse Iran of supplying weapons technology and assistance to the group, while Tehran says it supports the Houthis politically but rejects allegations that it controls their military decisions.
The humanitarian consequences of the renewed fighting are also growing. More than 200,000 people have been displaced during the latest escalation, according to international migration officials, adding to a population already severely affected by years of war, economic collapse and shortages of food, medicine and basic services.
Yemen was already one of the world's most serious humanitarian emergencies before the latest escalation. Millions of people remain dependent on assistance, while prolonged conflict has weakened hospitals, water systems, electricity networks and other infrastructure across the country.
The attack on Aden airport highlights the growing risk to civilians as missile and drone operations expand. Passenger flights remain vital for Yemenis travelling for medical treatment, employment and family reasons, while Aden also provides an important entry point for international personnel and commercial activity in government-held territory.
The latest violence follows weeks of increasing military pressure along Yemen's western front. Government forces have reported advances in several areas near the Red Sea coast, while the Houthis have continued missile and drone operations against opposing forces and regional targets. Battlefield claims from both sides remain difficult to independently verify as front lines shift.
The conflict began its current phase in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and forced the internationally recognised government from the capital. Saudi Arabia and regional allies intervened the following year, but years of military operations failed to restore government control over northern Yemen or produce a decisive outcome.
The relative reduction in fighting after the 2022 truce raised hopes that negotiations could eventually produce a settlement. Those hopes have weakened as regional tensions have drawn Yemen back into a wider confrontation involving Saudi security, Iranian influence, Red Sea shipping and international energy markets.
The immediate focus is now on whether government forces can prevent further Houthi gains near Bab el-Mandeb while protecting Aden and other southern areas from missile and drone attacks. Any prolonged battle around the strait could increase pressure on international shipping at a time when energy markets are already reacting to instability elsewhere in the Middle East.
For Yemen's civilian population, the renewed confrontation threatens another cycle of displacement and economic disruption after more than a decade of war. With more than 200,000 people already displaced in the latest fighting and attacks expanding toward civilian transport infrastructure, the conflict is again moving beyond relatively contained front lines.