On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Saudi airstrikes in Yemen’s northwestern Jawf province killed 14 people and wounded 15 others at a petrol station and market, according to Houthi broadcaster Almasirah. Simultaneously, Houthi ballistic missiles targeted the perimeter of the airport in Aden, wounding several civilians in the government stronghold.
Ballistic Missiles Strike Aden Airport Perimeter
The morning attack in Aden involved two ballistic missiles hitting the airport’s perimeter, causing structural damage and injuring civilians, government forces spokesman Majed Abdullah Al-Nazili stated on X. Al-Nazili condemned the action, classifying it as the sixth such attack on the airport. A local police source confirmed that one projectile landed inside the perimeter shortly before the Iran-backed group issued formal evacuation warnings.
Yemen’s Houthis said on Saturday (October 24, 2026) they attacked the southern city of Aden, the interim seat of the Saudi-backed government, after accusing Riyadh of killing 16 people in strikes on capital Sanaa and a Red Sea port city.https://t.co/4SYXB8HgdA
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree issued a public alert via Telegram demanding an immediate evacuation of the facility. Saree claimed the strikes targeted a Saudi military cargo plane allegedly stationed at the site to transport weapons. A police source verified that while a Saudi aircraft was indeed present during the initial impact, it sustained no damage and departed safely shortly afterward. A second missile subsequently struck an area under Saudi control within the airport boundaries.
Fraying Truces and Regional Escalation
The flare-up underscores the collapse of the fragile 2022 truce, which fractured in July when the Houthis permitted an Iranian aircraft to land in Sanaa in direct defiance of Saudi control over Yemeni airspace. That breach triggered a rapid sequence of maritime blockades, targeted assaults on Saudi oil facilities, and a lightning Houthi offensive that seized Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast. The current hostilities represent a violent extension of the wider Middle East conflict that ignited following US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
| Date / Period | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | Widening Middle East conflict erupts | Regional |
| July 2026 | 2022 truce collapses over Sanaa flight | Sanaa, Yemen |
| October 2026 | Houthi lightning offensive reignites civil war | Yemen |
| Late October 2026 | Ballistic missiles target airport infrastructure | Aden, Yemen |
| Wednesday | Petrol station and market strikes kill 14 | Jawf Province |
Global crude markets continue to experience heightened volatility as the Houthis sustain their campaign against Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter. With repeated strikes hitting both Aden’s airport infrastructure and coalition military positions near the aviation facility over recent weeks, diplomatic avenues for de-escalation remain entirely sidelined.
