The Ministry of Human Rights condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack launched by the Houthi terrorist militias against Aden International Airport in the early hours of Wednesday, using two ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones. This blatant attack on a vital civilian facility placed the lives of passengers, airport personnel, and flight crews in immediate danger and threatened the safety of air navigation.
One of the missiles landed near the airport runway just minutes before Yemenia Airways Flight 603, arriving from Cairo, was scheduled to land, carrying civilian passengers returning to their families. The attack also endangered passengers awaiting a flight to Jeddah scheduled for 3:00 a.m., as well as employees, workers, and flight crews present at the airport, in an assault that could have resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe.
The Ministry affirms that targeting the airport and its civilian facilities constitutes a grave violation of the rules of international humanitarian law prohibiting attacks against civilians and civilian objects. It also infringes upon citizens’ rights to life, security, and freedom of movement, threatens a vital gateway on which they depend for travel, medical treatment, and returning home, and exacerbates their suffering amid Yemen’s dire humanitarian conditions.
The Ministry recalls the missile attack launched by the Houthi terrorist militias against the airport on 30 December 2020, coinciding with the arrival of the Yemeni Government, which left dozens dead or injured and caused extensive damage to the airport and its facilities. The repeated targeting of the airport underscores the continued attacks on civilian facilities and disregard for citizens’ lives, highlighting the need for effective measures to halt these attacks and prevent their recurrence.
The Ministry calls on the international community and international organizations and bodies concerned with human rights and civil aviation safety to unequivocally condemn this attack and take a firm stance against repeated attacks on civilian facilities.
The Ministry of Human Rights urges the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations to take practical measures to protect civilians and civilian facilities and to exert pressure on the Houthi terrorist militias to cease attacks that threaten civilian lives. The Ministry also stresses the need to hold those responsible for this attack accountable, including those who planned, ordered, or participated in its execution, and to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes do not enjoy impunity.
Issued by the Ministry of Human Rights
Wednesday | 7 October 2026
