The attacks mark a significant escalation after a fragile ceasefire agreed in 2022 fell apart in July.
Aden International Airport was hit by two ballistic missiles, according to the Yemeni government’s Transport Ministry, which said it was the “fourth such attack this month.” The ministry warned that the targeting posed “a threat to the safety of civil aviation” and would have “humanitarian and economic repercussions for citizens” reliant on the airport.
Yemeni authorities also reported that the coastguard headquarters and a second building in Aden had been struck. The Houthis claimed they had attacked the al-Nasr camp and Aden’s naval military base.
In Sanaa, the Yemeni army reported that a Houthi missile malfunctioned and fell on a family home on Friday, killing three people. The army said it was one of several missile malfunctions by the Iran-backed group in recent weeks.
Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said on Saturday that Saudi coalition air strikes killed several civilians in Sanaa and in the port city of Hodeidah. The claim could not be independently verified, and Riyadh has not commented on the alleged raids.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defence said on X that the Houthis had launched two ballistic missiles towards Mecca and Medina, warning of falling shrapnel after interception. Images released by the Saudi Press Agency appeared to show a large, blackened missile fragment that had landed on Saudi soil.
GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi described the attacks as “heinous” in a statement, saying they showed “blatant disregard for the lives and security of civilians.”
The Houthis rejected the claim that they had targeted the two holy cities, calling it a “huge lie” and saying their targets were three Saudi airports, oil infrastructure and an airbase. The group has persistently targeted Saudi energy infrastructure and airports with long-range strikes since the ceasefire collapsed.
On the ground, intense fighting continues across Yemen. Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili said government forces had carried out more than 700 “targeting operations” in the last 24 hours, “neutralising” 300 Houthi fighters and disabling military vehicles. He said operations had hit field command centres, Houthi gatherings, weapons depots and supply lines in Taiz, where clashes have been ongoing for days. Al Jazeera could not independently verify those figures.