ADEN, October 17, 2026 — Two Houthi missiles landed perilously close to a passenger airliner preparing to depart for Cairo on Friday, in what Yemen’s internationally recognised government called a near-catastrophic attack on civilian aviation at Aden International Airport.
The projectiles struck about 500 metres from a Yemenia Airlines aircraft and roughly 100 metres from the centre of the runway as flight IY 612 stood ready for takeoff to the Egyptian capital, according to a statement from Yemen’s Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani posted on the social media platform X. No casualties were reported.
“We praise Allah for the safety of the passengers and crew of Yemenia Airlines flight number IY 612,” al-Eryani said, adding that divine providence had averted a disaster that could have claimed the lives of dozens of travellers. The Aden Security Directorate confirmed two missiles landed within the airport perimeter and said there were no injuries.
“Direct threat” to passengers, crews
The minister described the strike as more than an assault on infrastructure. “What occurred was not merely an attack on a civilian airport, but a direct threat to the lives of passengers and aviation crews, the safety of air navigation, and a flagrant violation of international laws and norms,” he said.
Al-Eryani stressed that Aden International Airport serves as a lifeline for Yemenis travelling abroad for medical treatment, education and work — and for families returning home — underlining the civilian stakes of the attack.
Sources in Aden told regional media they heard three explosions across the city during the incident. According to those accounts, two missiles struck the runway of the military airfield inside Badr Camp, adjacent to the international airport, while a third hit a Saudi-led coalition camp in the al-Buraiqah district. The extent of property damage was not immediately clear.
Houthis claim military targets hit
The Houthis acknowledged launching the strikes, with their media outlets saying the attack targeted a command headquarters used by Saudi forces and a weapons depot inside Badr Camp. The Houthi-run Saba news agency cited a source claiming strikes on military headquarters and weapons depots at the complex.
The airport attack came a day after Houthi ballistic missiles hit the presidential Maashiq Palace in Aden on Thursday, killing five people and wounding 16, according to Yemen’s health minister. Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani was inside the compound but escaped unharmed.
Escalation on both sides
Houthi media have accused the Saudi-led coalition of carrying out 101 airstrikes in the previous 24 hours against Sanaa and other parts of Houthi-held territory, a claim that could not be independently verified. Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi air power, have pressed a counter-offensive to reclaim territory seized in the Houthis’ September advance, though regional analysts say the operation has so far failed to reverse the group’s gains.
The near-miss over a fully loaded civilian airliner marks a sharp escalation in the Houthis’ campaign against aviation infrastructure, coming amid weeks of deadly strikes on Saudi airports and following the UN Security Council’s condemnation of attacks on civil aviation earlier this week.
