Houthis strike Aden airport after evacuation warning, halting air traffic in southern Yemen

Yemen's Houthis attacked Aden airport on Wednesday, government officials said, after the Iran-aligned group warned people to evacuate the facility as fighting escalated in the impoverished country caught in the wider West Asia conflict.

Residents in the southern port city, where the internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government is based, said they heard an explosion near the airport, a humanitarian lifeline and the main gateway to southern Yemen.

Air traffic was halted after the strike, two transport ministry officials told. An aid source said some UN staff left the airport shortly before the attack and no one was hurt.


Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a post on X that the evacuation warning was prompted by what he said was the presence of a Saudi military cargo aircraft delivering weapons. There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities.

Residents said explosions had also been heard elsewhere in the city before the warning was issued.

for the strait, us warns

The US military said vessels that have no need to move between ports in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz should stay away, as tensions ratchet up in the region.

not tried repairing facilities

The head of the UN nuclear agency said Tuesday there has been no indication Iran has tried to repair or reconstruct its nuclear facilities damaged in US and Israeli military strikes this year or last year.