Yemen's Houthi rebels attacked an international airport on Wednesday morning, using ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones, according to the Yemeni Ministry of Transport.

Aden International Airport is Yemen's main international gateway outside Houthi control.

The missile reportedly landed near the airport runway minutes before a flight from Cairo was due to land, forcing the plane to divert to Jeddah. Two planes on the runway were moved away from the area for fear of further attacks, the Transport Ministry said.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement that the group also attacked King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with several drones. There was no immediate confirmation of an attack on the Saudi airport.

Another Houthi ballistic missile was intercepted and destroyed north of Riyadh by the Saudi-led coalition, which said it had tracked the launch to a site in Houthi-controlled Sanaa.

The attacks came as fighting intensified on several fronts in Yemen. Saudi-backed government forces have launched a counteroffensive against the Houthis after the Yemeni insurgent group made territorial gains along the Red Sea coast in recent weeks.

Bid for the Red Sea

Government forces, backed by air support from the Saudi-led coalition, launched a lightning offensive to retake territory along the Red Sea coast. The operation succeeded in driving the Houthis out of areas around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the city of Mocha, which they had seized last month.

In a separate statement, Saree said the Houthi targeted Abha International Airport and an air base in Khamis Mushait with ballistic missiles and drones. It was not immediately clear whether that attack was related to the missile the coalition said it intercepted near Khamis Mushait. Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm an attack on Abha International Airport.

More than 200,000 displaced since fighting began in Yemen, UN agency says

The battle between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and Iran-backed Houthis in the country has displaced more than 200,000 people as of Wednesday, according to the latest figures released by the International Organization for Migration.

The UN agency reported the figure to have reached around 76,000 people in mid-September after fighting erupted.

Yemen is experiencing the most serious escalation of fighting and hostilities since a UN-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022. 

Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher

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