ADEN, October 17, 2026 (DAILYNWZ) — Missile attacks on Yemen’s Aden airport and a Saudi-led coalition’s interception of a ballistic missile heading toward the kingdom’s Red Sea oil hub of Yanbu have heightened security concerns as the widening regional conflict threatens critical energy routes.
Two missiles struck the grounds of Aden International Airport on Friday, the city’s Security Department said, blaming the Iran-aligned Houthi group. No casualties were reported. The department said a Yemenia Airways flight bound for Cairo was preparing for takeoff when the missiles landed.
The incident marked the second attack on the airport in less than a week, according to the security department. The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility.
Separately, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile headed for Yanbu, a key outlet for Saudi oil exports that allows crude to reach international markets through the Red Sea without passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The coalition also said it had destroyed two cruise missiles over the Red Sea and three drones in Saudi Arabia’s southern and Riyadh regions. It did not identify those responsible.
The attacks come as Iran has largely throttled traffic through the Strait of Hormuz since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran in February. With regional tensions raising concerns over shipping safety and global energy supplies, Brent crude briefly reached $110 a barrel on Friday, its highest level since May.
Saudi Civil Defense authorities issued an early Saturday alert for Abha in the southwest, near the Yemeni border, before later declaring the threat over. Earlier alerts were issued for the Jazan region and the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, where warnings have become frequent since fighting resumed last month.
Houthi-affiliated media also reported strikes east of Saada, in northwestern Yemen, early on Saturday. The Saudi-led coalition said it had destroyed two ballistic missile launchers in the area.
The renewed fighting has raised fears of further deterioration in Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, with aid agencies warning that conditions are worsening rapidly.
The conflict has become another front in the wider regional war involving Iran. The Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, forcing Yemen’s internationally recognised government south. A Saudi-led military intervention began the following year, followed by years of stalemate and a truce in 2022 that held until this year.
Since the conflict reignited, the Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Saudi airports, oil facilities and other infrastructure. In recent days, they have also targeted sites in areas held by Yemen’s government, including Aden airport and the presidential palace in the interim capital.
A spokesperson for the Houthi-run health ministry said on Friday that 124 civilians had been killed and 327 wounded in what he called “Saudi aggression” since the escalation began on September 3. Reuters could not independently verify the figures.