ADEN: Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement on Wednesday called for the immediate evacuation of Aden airport, claiming a Saudi military cargo aircraft carrying weapons was present at the facility.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree announced the warning in a post on X. Saudi authorities had not immediately commented on the claim.
Residents told Reuters that explosions were heard in Aden before the evacuation warning. The city hosts Yemen’s internationally recognised, Saudi-backed government.
The Houthis, who control the capital Sanaa in northern Yemen, have repeatedly targeted Aden airport, a key transport link and humanitarian gateway for the country’s south.
Fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government has intensified in recent weeks. The Houthis moved towards the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait last month, prompting government forces to advance against Houthi-held positions along the Red Sea coast.
The coalition has also stepped up strikes on Houthi targets in response to escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The renewed conflict has undermined a United Nations-brokered truce agreed in 2022, which had largely halted fighting in a country embroiled in conflict since the Houthis pushed the government south in 2014.
Aid organisations have warned that conditions are deteriorating further in Yemen, which is already facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.