Yemen’s Houthi rebels have intensified their attacks on Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognised government, raising fresh concerns over the widening conflict around one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
The latest escalation came on Wednesday, October 7, as the Houthis claimed attacks on airports and military facilities in Saudi Arabia, while Yemeni authorities said the group launched missiles and drones at Aden International Airport.
SAUDI ARABIA INTERCEPTS MISSILE NEAR RIYADH
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with drones, as well as Abha International Airport and military facilities in Khamis Mushait.
Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm that the Riyadh airport itself had been struck. However, the Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh.
Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Malki said the missile had been tracked to its launch platform over Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital.
“We are tracking the launch platform with the Coalition’s intelligence system in the skies over Sanaa, and we will destroy it,” al-Malki said.
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The latest attacks came as Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces intensified their military campaign against the Houthis, who have recently captured strategic territory along Yemen’s western coast.
ADEN AIRPORT TARGETED
The escalation has also reached Aden, the southern Yemeni city that serves as the seat of the internationally recognised government.
Yemen’s Transport Ministry said Houthi missiles and drones targeted Aden International Airport on Wednesday. One missile landed near the runway shortly before a flight from Cairo was due to arrive.
The incoming flight was diverted to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, while authorities evacuated parts of the airport and moved two aircraft away from the tarmac amid fears of further attacks.
“This incident could easily have turned a civilian flight into a horrific humanitarian disaster, claiming the lives of dozens of innocent people in an instant,” Yemen’s Transport Ministry said.
The Houthis said they were targeting Saudi military supplies near the airport rather than civilian aviation facilities.
FIGHTING INTENSIFIES AROUND BAB EL- MANDEB
The latest attacks come as fighting intensifies around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, supported by the Saudi-led coalition, have launched a counteroffensive to retake strategic territory near the strait and around the town of Mocha that the Houthis captured in September.
The renewed fighting is particularly significant because the Bab el-Mandeb is an important international shipping route and has become increasingly important for energy exports amid disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.
The escalation could therefore create further risks for shipping and energy supplies, adding pressure to global markets already affected by wider conflict in the Middle East.
The latest developments mark another serious escalation in Yemen’s long-running conflict, with attacks reaching both civilian aviation infrastructure in Yemen and strategic targets in neighboring Saudi Arabia.
