On October 16, 2026, two missiles struck Aden International Airport in Yemen as a Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile headed for Yanbu, alongside cruise missiles and drones, sharpening concerns about regional security and energy shipments.
Yemen’s Aden Security Department said the missiles landed on airport grounds while a Yemenia Airways flight bound for Cairo was preparing to depart; no casualties were reported. Yemen’s internationally recognized government blamed the Houthis, and the group later claimed it had targeted a military command post and weapons depot in Aden. The airport had been attacked less than a week earlier, according to local security officials.
The coalition said it also intercepted two cruise missiles over the Red Sea and three drones over Saudi Arabia’s southern region and Riyadh, but did not identify who launched those weapons. Yanbu is a key Saudi oil-export port on the Red Sea, allowing shipments to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, a route already under pressure from regional tensions. Brent crude briefly reached $110 a barrel on Friday, its highest level since May, as traders weighed risks to supply and shipping.
The attacks came amid renewed fighting in Yemen, adding to fears that the conflict could further threaten civilians and worsen the country’s humanitarian crisis.