ADEN/RIYADH: The government of Yemen has strongly condemned missile and drone attacks by the Houthi militia on Aden International Airport, saying the targeting of a civilian facility endangered passengers, airport staff and air crews.
According to reports, the Houthis fired two ballistic missiles and several drones at Aden International Airport. The missiles landed close to the tarmac just minutes before a Yemenia Airways flight was due to land.
The Yemeni government said the attack could have endangered dozens of passengers aboard incoming flights, airport staff, and travellers inside the terminal who were waiting for the departure of a flight to Jeddah.
In Saudi Arabia, civil aviation authorities said on Wednesday, 07 Oct, that three people were killed in attacks on airports as fighting intensified in Yemen. One person was killed and eight others were wounded in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, while two people were killed and 28 others were wounded in an attack on facilities at Abha airport, according to a statement.
Yemen’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, said the attack on Aden airport threatened regional and international aviation safety. The ministry held the Houthi militia fully responsible for the attack and its consequences.
It said targeting the civilian gateway, which serves Yemenis from all governorates, was a dangerous escalation and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and civil aviation protection norms, adding that there was no justification for such an act.
The ministry praised the measures taken by the competent authorities to secure the airport and protect passengers and air crews. It said attacks on civilian institutions would not deter the state from protecting its citizens and facilities, ensuring the safety of air navigation, and safeguarding the right to safe travel.
The Yemeni ministry also warned that the attack threatened the safety of regional and international civil aviation. It called on the United Nations Security Council and the international community to condemn the attack and take practical measures to prevent its recurrence.
The ministry urged that all those who planned, ordered or participated in the attack be held accountable in accordance with international law so that the perpetrators do not escape justice.
It also called on the International Civil Aviation Organization and relevant bodies to condemn the attack and strengthen measures for the protection of airports and civil aviation.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis vowed retaliation, saying the attacks “will not go unpunished”. In a statement issued late Wednesday, the coalition said it had attacked more than 80 Houthi military sites across the governorates of Saada, Hodeidah, Jawf and Marib.
