Yemeni Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani discussed the latest developments in the military Operation Dawn of Yemen against Ansar Allah (the Houthis) during a meeting with ministers in Aden, as the government’s Human Rights Ministry condemned an attack it said the group had carried out on Aden International Airport using two ballistic missiles and booby-trapped drones.
Al-Zindani raises readiness and rallies support for the operation
The previous day, al-Zindani ordered heightened security readiness, tighter protection for vital facilities and infrastructure, and the completion of arrangements concerning areas returning to state control. He also called for intensified political and diplomatic efforts to explain the operation’s objectives and rally international support for it, including protecting international navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to the state-run Saba news agency.
As part of monitoring the military operation, Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi received briefings from the defence minister and the chief of staff on the course of the fighting, the level of readiness, and coordination mechanisms between government forces and the participating military formations.
According to Saba, al-Alimi praised what he described as the field advances made by government forces and the popular resistance. He urged residents of areas under Houthi control not to respond to recruitment campaigns, and called on the group’s members to lay down their arms and take advantage of what he called the “opportunity for a safe return”, while praising the support provided by the Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy.
Defence Minister Lieutenant General Taher al-Aqili, for his part, praised “the progress being made by the armed forces, military formations and popular resistance as part of Operation Dawn of Yemen”, stressing the need to strengthen coordination and integration among the participating forces and raise the level of readiness.
Al-Aqili received an assessment of the field situation, operational tasks and related needs, and ordered the continued implementation of approved plans, adherence to discipline and readiness, and stronger coordination and field monitoring of operations.
Human Rights Ministry condemns attack on Aden airport
In a related development, the government’s Human Rights Ministry condemned an attack it accused the Houthi group of carrying out on Aden International Airport using two ballistic missiles and booby-trapped drones, saying that targeting the airport endangered civilians, workers and flight crews and threatened the safety of air navigation.
In a statement carried by Saba, the ministry said one of the missiles landed near the airport runway minutes before the scheduled landing of a Yemenia flight arriving from Cairo, while other passengers were preparing to depart on a flight bound for Jeddah. The ministry called on the international community and the United Nations to take measures to protect civilian facilities and hold those responsible for the attack accountable.
Conflicting accounts over the attack’s target
It linked the incident to the attack that targeted Aden airport on 30 December 2020, coinciding with the Yemeni government’s arrival in the city. Meanwhile, al-Masirah television, affiliated with the Houthis, quoted the group’s military spokesman as saying that their forces had targeted with ballistic missiles what he described as Saudi military supplies that had arrived at Badr Camp near Aden International Airport.
The spokesman claimed that the attack killed and wounded a number of officers. This comes amid a military escalation between government forces, backed by the Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy, and the Houthi group.
