Yemen Frontlines: Army Reports 700 Operations as Missile Debris Lands Near Mecca

A new wave of cross-border strikes has raised the stakes in Yemen, with missile debris landing inside Saudi Arabia and a fourth hit on Aden International Airport in a single month. The Yemeni government’s Transport Ministry confirmed on Saturday that two ballistic missiles targeted the airport, describing the attacks as a direct threat to civil aviation safety.

The ministry warned that the repeated strikes carry heavy economic and humanitarian costs for residents who rely on the facility for travel. Alongside the airport, Yemeni authorities said the coastguard headquarters and a separate building were hit. Houthi forces claimed responsibility for strikes on the al-Nasr camp and the naval military base in Aden, the seat of the internationally recognized government.

Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency stated on Saturday that it intercepted two ballistic missiles launched toward Mecca and Medina. The agency warned of falling shrapnel following the interceptions. Images from the Saudi Press Agency showed a large, blackened object that had landed within the kingdom. Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, called the attacks heinous, saying they showed a disregard for civilian lives.

The Houthi group challenged the official account of the targets. They described the claim that they aimed at Mecca and Medina as a huge lie, stating instead that their intended targets were three Saudi airports, oil infrastructure, and an airbase. On Friday, Yemen’s army reported that a malfunctioning Houthi missile crashed into a family home in Sanaa, killing three people. The military said this was one of several malfunctions observed in recent weeks.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that Saudi coalition airstrikes killed several civilians in Sanaa and Hodeidah on Saturday. The claim has not been independently verified, and Riyadh has not issued a formal comment on the alleged raids. Since a 2022 ceasefire collapsed in July, long-range strikes on Saudi energy and transport hubs have defined the current phase of the conflict.

On the ground in Yemen, Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, a Yemeni army spokesman, said government forces conducted more than 700 targeting operations over the previous 24 hours. He claimed these operations neutralized 300 Houthi fighters and disabled military vehicles, though the figures have not been independently verified. The spokesman said the operations focused on command centres, weapons depots, and supply lines in Taiz, where intense clashes have continued for days.