Houthis call for Aden airport evacuation in Yemen
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on TimesLIVE and Sowetan
The Houthis called on Wednesday for Aden airport to be evacuated immediately, claiming that a Saudi military cargo plane carrying weapons was there. Their spokesman Yahya Saree issued the warning after explosions were heard in the city, as fighting between the rebels and pro-government forces intensified, according to TimesLIVE and Sowetan. Sowetan reports that renewed fighting ended the UN-brokered truce of 2022.
The Houthis, through their spokesman Yahya Saree, called on Wednesday for Aden airport to be evacuated immediately, claiming that a Saudi military cargo plane carrying weapons was there, according to Sowetan and TimesLIVE. Explosions had been heard in the city before the warning, according to residents cited by Sowetan. Saudi authorities had not immediately responded, the outlet said.
The movement, which controls Sanaa, has already struck the airport several times. The airport is a vital access route to southern Yemen for humanitarian aid, Sowetan reports. Fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government has intensified in recent weeks.
The Houthis advanced last month towards the Bab al-Mandab strait, while government forces moved to retake territory captured by the rebels on the Red Sea coast. The coalition stepped up strikes on Houthi positions in response to an increase in attacks on Saudi Arabia, according to Sowetan.
The renewed fighting ended the UN-brokered truce of 2022, which had largely halted the attacks. Humanitarian agencies are warning of a rapid deterioration in conditions in a country already hit by one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, Sowetan reports.
