Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched two missiles towards Aden International Airport early Wednesday, as fighting intensified between the group and government forces backed by Saudi Arabia, officials said.The missiles targeted the airport in the southern port city, but there were no immediate reports of casualties, the media office of the Aden Security Department said.Local Yemeni outlets also published footage showing explosions during the attack.The strike came as government forces pressed ahead with a counteroffensive against the Houthis after weeks of advances by the group along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.Yemen’s presidential leadership council chairman Rashad al-Alimi on Monday announced Operation “Dawn of Yemen”, saying the campaign aimed to retake the capital Sanaa and restore state institutions from Houthi control.Government forces said on Tuesday that they had captured a key mountain peak in western Taiz after clashes with the Houthis.The latest fighting is also unfolding around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, with Saudi-backed government forces saying they have recaptured areas near the waterway with coalition air support.Aden International Airport is the main international gateway serving parts of Yemen outside Houthi control.Earlier on Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile launched towards the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait, Saudi state television reported.The coalition said the missile threats originated from areas under Houthi control, including the capital Sanaa and the governorates of Saada and Amran.The Houthis later claimed attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying they had targeted Abha airport with ballistic missiles and drones and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with drones. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities of those claims.Following the coalition’s interception statement, Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported that Saudi forces had carried out a strike in an area spanning the central governorates of Ibb and Taiz. There was no immediate confirmation from the Saudi-led coalition.The latest exchanges come as Yemen’s government forces seek to build on recent battlefield gains and push the Houthis back from territory they have controlled for years.
