Saudi Coalition Intercepts Houthi Missile as Attacks Escalate Across Yemen
Missile interception in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province follows Houthi strikes on Aden airport and reported deadly Saudi airstrikes in northern Yemen
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday that it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward the kingdom’s Eastern Province, amid escalating attacks between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed group and renewed fighting across Yemen.
“Air defences intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the Eastern Province,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a post on X.
The interception came a day after the Houthis targeted Aden airport, the main gateway to the southern city that serves as the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, with two ballistic missiles that wounded several civilians and caused damage, according to government forces.
The Houthis also accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out airstrikes on a market and a petrol station in the northwestern Jawf province on Wednesday, claiming the attacks killed 14 people and wounded 15 others, including women and children.
The casualty figures were reported by the Houthi-run broadcaster Almasirah and could not be independently verified.
Majed Abdullah Al-Nazili, a spokesman for Yemeni government forces, said the missiles struck the perimeter of Aden airport, describing the incident as the sixth such attack on the facility.
A local police source told AFP that one missile landed inside the airport perimeter shortly before the Houthis issued an evacuation warning.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree urged people to leave the airport, alleging that a Saudi military cargo aircraft was transporting weapons.
A police source said the aircraft was not hit and took off shortly after the first strike. A second missile hit an area inside the airport perimeter under Saudi forces’ control, according to another police official.
Both officials spoke anonymously because of security concerns.
The Houthis have repeatedly targeted Aden and Saudi-linked military positions in recent weeks, while intensifying missile and drone attacks against Saudi territory, including airports and oil infrastructure.
The group also claimed this week that it had targeted the Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province with a ballistic missile.
The latest escalation follows the collapse in July of a fragile truce that had helped contain fighting since 2022. The renewed conflict has seen the Houthis launch a rapid offensive against the Saudi-backed government and seize territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
Saudi Arabia has faced sustained Houthi attacks this month, raising concerns about the security of its energy infrastructure and the potential consequences for global oil markets. Tehran has denied involvement in the group’s attacks after Riyadh accused Iran of encouraging the escalation.
The intensifying conflict has also become entangled with the wider regional war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, increasing the risk that Yemen’s renewed fighting could further destabilize the region and threaten vital maritime routes.