Houthis order immediate evacuation of Aden airport, home to Yemen's Saudi-backed government

As of 9:41 a.m. ET, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026

Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday called on people at Aden International Airport to evacuate immediately, Reuters and Al Jazeera English reported. The internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government is based in Aden.

"Our armed forces call on those present at Aden airport to immediately evacuate the airport," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree wrote in Arabic on X at 6:26 a.m. ET. He said the order was issued because a "military cargo plane belonging to the Saudi enemy" was there, carrying "weapons to kill the sons of the Yemeni people." GROKsiNEWS.com has not independently verified that claim.

Saree repeated the warning at 7:53 a.m. ET in a second post, saying the armed forces were renewing their call "for the last time."

Residents in Aden told Reuters that explosions were heard in the city before the Houthi warning. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment, Reuters reported.

Background

The Houthis control the capital, Sanaa, in the north and have repeatedly struck the Aden airport, which Reuters described as a humanitarian lifeline and gateway for southern Yemen. Aden has been the seat of the government since the Houthis took Sanaa in 2014, Al Jazeera reported.

Fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition backing the government has intensified in recent weeks, Reuters reported, and the renewed fighting has shattered a 2022 truce brokered by the United Nations.

Separately, Yemeni government forces said they carried out three air strikes on Houthi positions in the Jabal Habashi district of Taiz governorate, Al Jazeera English reported on Wednesday.