In July, a fragile 2022 truce fell apart after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen’s capital Sanaa in defiance of Saudi control over Yemeni airspace, setting off a spate of attacks. People inspect damage at a house reportedly hit by a Houthi missile in the southwestern city of Taiz, Yemen on October 21, 2026
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Yemen’s Houthis said they attacked a Saudi position in the city of Aden on Wednesday (October 21, 2026), with smoke seen rising near the airport, in the third attack in a week on the seat of power of Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government.
“Our armed forces were able to target the Saudi enemy’s operations room in the Badr camp in Aden with a ballistic missile,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement.
A police official in Aden earlier told AFP there had been a blast “caused by a Houthi missile”, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
Two other security sources in the city told AFP the attack targeted a site near the airport that belonged to forces from the Saudi-led military coalition which has been battling the Houthis.
The Houthis later also targeted a military base at an airport in the southern city of Al Mukalla, two military officials told AFP.
“The Houthis used missiles and drones to target a military base housing forces from the Saudi-led coalition at Al Rayyan airport,” said one of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Saree said the group had targeted “military equipment transported by the Saudi enemy via military cargo planes to Al Rayyan airport”.
Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognised Yemeni government have come under sustained attack from the Iran-backed Houthis, shifting the focus of the wider Middle East war that erupted with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
On Friday (October 16, 2026), two missiles landed within the perimeter of the airport in Aden, with the Houthis claiming the attack.
A day earlier, the Houthis launched a deadly missile attack on the presidential palace in Aden, hitting command centres located inside the Al-Maashiq presidential compound, which is used by government forces and the Saudi-led coalition.
In July, a fragile 2022 truce fell apart after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemen’s capital Sanaa in defiance of Saudi control over Yemeni airspace, setting off a spate of attacks.
Later, the Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships, territory and oil facilities, before seizing government-held territory in Yemen along the Red Sea coastline in a lightning campaign.
In response, the Saudi air force has been regularly targeting the Houthis in support of the Yemeni government.
Published – October 21, 2026 10:54 pm IST
