Houthi attacks intensify as Saudi-backed forces advance in Yemen

• Missiles and drones target Aden airport; Cairo flight diverted, no casualties reported

• Saudi-backed forces advance under “Dawn of Yemen” near Taiz and Bab el-Mandeb

• Saudi Arabia intercepts Houthi missiles amid wider Iran-US tensions

Fighting in Yemen has intensified as Houthi forces launched missile and drone attacks against targets in southern Yemen and Saudi Arabia, while Saudi-backed government forces push ahead with a counteroffensive to reclaim territory from the Iran-aligned group.

Houthi forces targeted Aden International Airport with ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones, with one missile landing near the runway shortly before a Cairo-bound flight was due to arrive. The flight was diverted to Jeddah, while other aircraft were moved away from the area. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The escalation comes as Saudi-backed Yemeni forces conduct a wider military campaign, dubbed “Dawn of Yemen”, aimed at reversing recent Houthi territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The government forces have also been advancing around Taiz, a key battleground in Yemen’s prolonged civil war.

The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed Houthi ballistic missiles launched towards Saudi Arabia, including one north of Riyadh and another targeting the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree separately claimed attacks against Saudi targets, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, although Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm all the reported strikes.

The coalition has identified Houthi-controlled Sanaa, Saada and Amran as sources of missile threats against Saudi Arabia. The renewed exchanges come after the Houthis made significant advances along the Red Sea coast, including around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb waterway, prompting the Saudi-backed government to launch its counteroffensive.

The fighting is unfolding against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions involving Iran and the United States. US President Donald Trump, speaking in Maryland, said the war with Iran would end either “the nice way or the not-so-nice way”, signalling continued uncertainty over the wider regional conflict.

The latest escalation has raised concerns that Yemen could become another major front in the broader regional confrontation, with attacks threatening both civilian infrastructure and vital international shipping routes.

With agency inputs