Yemen conflict escalating into regional war: As it happened

Syria is considering joining the war against Yemen’s Houthis, according to Hiba Nasr, Washington bureau chief for Saudi outlet Asharq News. Nasr cited multiple sources as saying the idea is under discussion but that no final decision has been made.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Riyadh on Tuesday and met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with official readouts saying the two discussed regional security and developments but making no mention of Yemen.

Yemen’s Houthis say they carried out a large-scale missile and drone attack on several Saudi military camps and weapons depots in the southwestern border regions of Jizan and Asir, close to Yemen.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed dozens of Saudi soldiers and officers were killed or wounded and that several ammunition stores caught fire. Saudi authorities have not confirmed the reported attacks.

Yemen’s Houthis say they have shot down a Saudi CH-4B armed reconnaissance drone over Al-Jawf province.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the Royal Saudi Air Force unmanned aircraft was carrying out “hostile missions” when it was downed with what he described only as an “appropriate weapon.”

Saudi authorities have not yet confirmed the loss.

Yemen’s Transport Ministry says Houthi forces targeted Aden International Airport early on Wednesday with two ballistic missiles and several explosive-laden drones, forcing an inbound passenger flight to divert.

The ministry said one missile landed near the runway “minutes” before Yemenia flight 603 from Cairo was due to land, prompting authorities to reroute the aircraft to Jeddah. Passengers and staff were evacuated from the terminal, while two aircraft on the ground were moved away after drones were detected over Aden.

The Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said the missile had been launched from Houthi-controlled territory. He added that coalition intelligence systems were tracking the launch platform over Sanaa and vowed that it would be destroyed.

READ MORE: Houthis claim strikes on Riyadh airport

New reports have emerged of another possible Houthi missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, with OSINT accounts claiming ballistic missiles targeted the facility. Saudi authorities have yet to confirm that any new strike took place or report damage.

The Houthis had claimed a “direct and precise hit” on the same airport the previous night, although Riyadh did not specifically confirm that claim. Saudi aviation authorities have since acknowledged Houthi strikes on airports in Jazan and Najran, where three people were injured.

New satellite imagery dated October 6 and circulated by Soar Atlas also appears to show damage at an AESSCO facility at King Khalid airport, with one warehouse visibly darkened and a faint possible smoke trail.

Aden security authorities have confirmed that two Houthi missiles targeted the city’s international airport early on Wednesday, following two powerful explosions reported near the facility. 

The Aden security department’s media office said the strike caused no casualties. Footage circulating online showed smoke rising from the airport area after the impacts.

Aden is controlled by Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognized government and serves as its temporary capital after the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014. Government forces retook full control of the airport earlier this year, and the city has since functioned as a key political and military logistics hub for the anti-Houthi camp.

Pro-government journalists had also reported in recent days that Saudi and Pakistani cargo shipments arrived at Aden airport, although those claims have not been independently verified.

Two powerful explosions have rocked areas around Aden International Airport in southern Yemen, Al Jazeera reported, citing its correspondents on the ground.

Footage circulating online appears to show columns of smoke rising from the airport area and at least one impact. OSINT accounts claimed that Ansar Allah targeted the facility with two ballistic missiles, but the group has yet to issue an official statement and there is no confirmed information on casualties or damage.

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces say they repelled two separate Houthi attacks in Taiz province.

The Southern Giants Brigades said they pushed back an assault on their positions in the Dhubab district on Yemen’s western coast, claiming to have inflicted “heavy losses in personnel and equipment” on the Houthis. Separately, another Houthi attack was allegedly thwarted in the al-Salu district, south of Taiz, with 12 fighters “neutralised” and several others wounded.

Saudi researcher Salman al-Ansari told RT that the Houthis have “no option but to surrender,” arguing that mounting pressure from Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and the newly activated Mecca Defense Alliance is narrowing their room for maneuver.

Al-Ansari claimed the pact is primarily defensive and is expected to focus on intelligence sharing and protecting Saudi Arabia from attacks rather than launching a major offensive campaign in Yemen. Turkish and Pakistani forces, he suggested, would serve mainly as a deterrent to regional threats.

He also rejected claims that Riyadh had asked Washington to fight its war directly, saying Saudi Arabia instead seeks US intelligence support and targeting assistance.