Aden (South24 Center)

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Aden International Airport and Al-Riyan Airport in Mukalla, Hadramout Governorate, came under missile attacks on Wednesday (October 21), marking a further escalation in Houthi military operations targeting facilities in South Yemen.

A South24 Center correspondent reported that four Houthi missiles struck Al-Riyan Airport in Mukalla, the capital of Hadramout Governorate in South Yemen, as drones flew over the area.

#BREAKING

Footage shows aftermath of Houthi strikes targeting Riyan Airport in Mukalla, Hadramout, moments ago

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— South24 | English (@South24E) October 21, 2026

Video footage showed the aftermath of the strikes, which hit several open-ground areas within the airport compound. Field reports also indicated that a drone had fallen near the runway. No confirmed information was available on casualties or the extent of the damage.

#BREAKING

Our correspondent: Suspected Houthi missile attack targets Riyan Airport in Mukalla, Hadramout, amid drone activity

#south24

https://t.co/p54T1EiYHg

— South24 | English (@South24E) October 21, 2026

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on Al-Riyan Airport. Their military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the operation targeted military equipment that Saudi military cargo aircraft had transported to the airport. He also renewed the group’s warning against using civilian facilities for military purposes. The claim about the equipment could not be independently verified.

The attack came hours after Aden International Airport was targeted by missiles, according to a security source who spoke to South24 Center.

Houthi military spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack in Aden but asserted that the missiles had targeted a Saudi military operations center at the nearby Badr Camp. He provided no details about the outcome of the strikes.

No confirmed reports of casualties or material damage from the attack on Aden Airport were available.

#ADEN 

Aden Airport Director: The Houthi shelling that targeted the airport on the 7th, 11th, and 16th of this current October caused damage to the runway and a number of facilities

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— South24 | English (@South24E) October 21, 2026

In a related development, Houthi-affiliated media reported that three airstrikes targeted a telecommunications network in the Marran area of Saada Governorate, northern Yemen.

In Taiz, forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government reported heavy clashes with the Houthis on the governorate's western fronts. Local media also reported Houthi shelling of residential neighborhoods in the city, although no confirmed casualty figures were available from Wednesday's attacks.

In Lahj Governorate, the Southern Nation's Shield Forces said they had targeted a Houthi vehicle with drones in Wadi Mamer on the Al-Mahawala front, setting it ablaze.

The escalation also extended to Saudi Arabia, where Saudi military spokesman Turki al-Maliki announced on Wednesday that five drones launched toward the kingdom had been intercepted and destroyed.

Al-Maliki said the interceptions took place in the Eastern Province and the Medina region, without identifying those responsible for launching the drones.

The attacks on Aden and Al-Riyan airports came two days after a Houthi ballistic missile strike on the Ahmed Mohsen al-Sulaimani Training Center, known as Al-Alam Camp, in Shabwa Governorate, South Yemen.

The Shabwa local authority announced on Tuesday (October 20) that the death toll had risen to 73, while 14 others remained missing and more than 200 people had been injured.

The missiles struck the training center on Monday (October 19), during a training course for newly recruited internal security personnel. According to a South24 Center correspondent, approximately 700 recruits were participating in the course when three ballistic missiles struck the camp.

The attack prompted local and international condemnation, alongside calls to strengthen air defense systems across South Yemen to protect civilian facilities, security installations and training centers from repeated missile attacks.