Houthi missile attacks threaten Yemen's air artery

Renewed displacement in Lahj Governorate, southern Yemen, with the Houthis targeting residential villages in the Al-Sabiha area with mortar shells and drones, in an escalation affecting areas where tribal militants support government forces, and coinciding with the continued isolation of Taiz Governorate from government-controlled areas, and the worsening humanitarian and medical needs there.

The local authority in Lahj launched an urgent appeal to provide shelter for families fleeing the bombing in the Al-Sabiha area, amid the limited capabilities available to receive the displaced and provide for their basic needs, at a time when international warnings are increasing regarding the difficulty of delivering aid to the population affected by the escalation and the restrictions imposed on movement.

The information office in the governorate called on the people of the districts to support displaced families, especially the elderly, mothers, and children, who were forced to leave their homes and possessions in search of safety, pointing out the difficult humanitarian conditions they face after losing shelter and stability.

The office appealed to the owners of houses, apartments and real estate to open their doors to fleeing families, and to rent housing at nominal and affordable prices, taking into account their exceptional conditions, stressing that helping the displaced requires united community efforts to alleviate their suffering.

Yemeni government sources reported to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthis targeted residential gatherings on the outskirts of Ras Al-Ara and Al-Mudaraba districts, west of Lahj, with the aim of putting pressure on tribal militants who support government forces in confronting attempts to advance deep into the district.

According to the sources, the group seeks, through these movements, to circumvent the government forces stationed in the Kahboub Heights, and those in the Bab al-Mandab area, and the Dhubab district, while the bombardment of villages with mortar shells and drones led to a new wave of displacement among the population.

Local authorities are facing difficulties in accommodating the increasing numbers of those fleeing, in light of their limited capabilities and the weak humanitarian response available to provide shelter, food, and health care, according to the same sources.

These developments come at a time when UN data indicate that the number of displaced people due to the escalation has risen to 233,77 people, including 121,530 people in Taiz Governorate alone, amid increasing risks threatening women, children, and the most vulnerable groups, who were forced to leave their areas in search of safety.

In Taiz, which is besieged by the Houthis, humanitarian concerns are exacerbated with the continued closure of the main roads linking the governorate to other regions, including Aden, which impedes the access of aid and basic services to the population, and increases pressure on health institutions in the city.

Ricardo Perez, spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that the organization faces challenges in reaching children in need in the governorate due to the continued escalation and restrictions on movement.

He explained that about 110,000 children are among the newly displaced since the beginning of September, noting that the organization has verified the killing of 30 children and the injury of 28 others as a result of the recent escalation.

He added that the wave of violence undermines the remaining signs of stability that children have, after years of suffering related to hunger, displacement, and disruption of education.

For his part, Tariq Yasarevic, spokesman for the World Health Organization, warned of the deteriorating health situation in Taiz, noting that the city had become isolated, and that hospitals were facing a severe shortage of medical supplies, with the fighting extending to its urban areas.

He stated that 12 hospitals in the city only have a stock of fuel sufficient for four days, in conjunction with a lack of oxygen, medicines, and a running out of surgical supplies, which are needs that represent a direct threat to the continued provision of medical services.

He pointed to the urgent need to provide fuel and oxygen, especially for patients undergoing dialysis and patients in intensive care departments, expressing his concern about the increasing cases of cholera.

The United Nations stressed the need to ensure safe and sustainable access for humanitarian aid to Taiz and other affected Yemeni areas, in light of the expanding needs and the decline in the ability of basic services to respond.

On the other side of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, Djibouti is also facing a health challenge with an outbreak of cholera in the central refugee camp, where about 31 infections were recorded among thousands of Yemenis fleeing Houthi attacks, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesman for the Commission, said that 20 infected people have recovered, while ten people are still receiving medical care, with one death recorded.

He added that more than four thousand people arrived from Yemen to East Africa, including about 3,800 refugees who arrived in Djibouti, and about 200 others in Somalia.

These developments reflect the expansion of the humanitarian needs associated with the Yemeni crisis, from waves of displacement in Lahj and Taiz, to health care challenges and disease risks in areas of refuge, at a time when international organizations stress the need to secure access to aid and basic services for those affected.

The humanitarian and military repercussions of the siege imposed on the Yemeni city of Taiz (southwest) have expanded, with renewed Houthi bombing of residential areas and deaths and injuries, coinciding with warnings from human rights organizations of worsening food insecurity and the faltering access of basic supplies to a city whose residents are facing an escalating living crisis.

In the most recent attacks, 8 civilians were killed, including women and children, and 6 others were injured, according to a preliminary toll announced by the local authority, as a result of Houthi bombing that targeted the village of Al-Muqadda in the Himyar Al-Jabal area of ​​Maqbana District, west of Taiz, while there are still victims under the rubble.

The local authority said that the bombing targeted homes and civilian objects, holding the Houthi group responsible for the casualties, and calling on the United Nations and relevant organizations to document the incident, work to protect civilians, and hold those responsible accountable.

In the southeast of the city, a human rights organization reported that a woman was killed and 5 civilians were injured, including a woman and a girl, as a result of Houthi bombing and sniping in the Sabr Al-Mawadim District. The Taiz Human Rights Center reported that a woman was killed as a result of a bombing that targeted the Al Shaqab area, while a female citizen was injured by sniper bullets in the Kahlan area, and 3 brothers were injured by fragments of a shell that fell on their house in the Aqqa neighborhood.

These incidents come at a time when warnings are increasing about the repercussions of closing roads and ports on food, medical and fuel supplies, amid fears that continued restrictions on transport movement will deepen the humanitarian crisis in the governorate.

The "Rasd for Rights and Liberties" organization warned that the city of Taiz is approaching a humanitarian catastrophe, in light of the continued siege and the prevention of access to basic supplies, noting that more than 2.5 million people, including about 140,000 displaced people, are facing the repercussions of the crisis.

The organization said, in a statement on the occasion of World Food Day, that Yemen has been suffering from a prolonged food security crisis since 2014, due to conflict, deteriorating economy, displacement, rising food prices, and declining sources of income, agricultural production, and humanitarian funding.

She added that the continued closure of roads and the decline in supplies of water and oil derivatives, in conjunction with the escalation of bombing of civilian areas, exacerbates the risks facing the population, calling on the United Nations, donors and humanitarian organizations to increase funding, strengthen food and nutrition programs, and support livelihoods.

The organization called for pressure to open roads and allow humanitarian and medical aid to arrive, warning of the consequences of the continuation of the situation without urgent intervention to protect civilians and secure their basic needs.

In a move to confront the living repercussions, the Emergency Committee in Taiz Governorate, headed by Governor Nabil Shamsan, discussed the repercussions of the siege on the stock of food supplies, oil derivatives, household gas, and the basic needs of the population.

The meeting reviewed the ration reports and the efforts made in coordination with the government and international organizations to secure supplies, including oil derivatives allocated to the governorate and located in Lahj Governorate.

Shamsan said that the closure of roads represents the main obstacle to the flow of supplies to the city of Taiz, indicating continued communication with the International Committee of the Red Cross to facilitate their passage, and waiting for the Houthis’ response regarding opening the road and allowing the entry of supplies under the auspices of the committee.

The Emergency Committee confirmed the readiness of the local authorities to provide the necessary facilities, noting that the roads and ports under its control are open to the movement of humanitarian and commercial supplies, while the Houthi group continues to close main roads and obstruct movement, according to the committee’s statement.

The committee called for facilitating the entry of food supplies, petroleum derivatives, and household gas through official channels, and in coordination with the local authority, to limit the aggravation of the crisis.

In parallel with field and humanitarian developments, local authorities in a number of Taiz districts warned of Houthi attempts to restrict the data of officers and military personnel present in the West Coast and Al-Hujariya areas, in preparation for summoning them and attracting them to the ranks of the group.

The authorities called on military personnel affiliated with the armed and security forces, who were performing their duties in those areas, to communicate with their commanders to obtain instructions related to rearranging their status and disbursing their salaries, warning against responding to the Houthi summons.

It also called on sheikhs, notables, and leaders to reject pressures aimed at handing over military data, and to protect their local communities from the repercussions of these measures.

Two missiles landed inside the campus of Aden International Airport, launched by the Houthi militia, on Friday evening, while a plane carrying passengers was preparing to take off from it at the moment of the targeting, according to official sources.

The Aden Security Administration stated, in a statement, that preliminary information about this incident, which is the second in a week, indicates that no loss of life was recorded, explaining that the competent authorities are continuing to complete the necessary procedures, provided that they will provide public opinion with any additional details as soon as they are completed.

The Security Department confirmed that the repetition of these incidents inside the airport campus represents a serious threat to the safety of civilian objects and air traffic, especially in light of the presence of flights to and from several countries, and the presence of passengers in the departure and arrival halls.

The statement, published by the official agency, indicated that Aden International Airport is a vital air port for Yemenis, including patients and humanitarian cases who depend on it to travel and receive treatment abroad.

For his part, the Yemeni Minister of Information, Muammar Al-Eryani, confirmed the safety of the passengers and crew of Yemen Airways flight No. (IY 612), heading to Cairo International Airport, indicating that it was preparing to take off at the moment the militia targeted Aden Airport with two missiles that landed about 500 meters from the plane, and 100 meters from the middle of the runway.

Al-Eryani added, in a post on the “X” platform: “God’s providence prevented a horrific humanitarian catastrophe that could have claimed the lives of dozens of innocent travelers,” noting that “what happened is not just an attack on a civilian airport, but rather a direct threat to the lives of passengers and flight crews, the safety of air navigation, and a serious violation of international laws and norms.”

The Minister of Information stated that this civil airport operates dozens of flights daily, transporting patients seeking treatment, students seeking their future, expatriates returning to their families or departing to work, and thousands of Yemenis who depend on it as an essential window to communicate with the world.

Al-Eryani stressed that targeting Aden International Airport “is neither a military achievement nor a victory to be boasted of, but rather an assault on the right of Yemenis to life, movement, treatment, and education, and a direct threat to innocent lives and the safety of civil aviation.”

The minister stressed that “the state, with the support and backing of the brothers in the coalition to support legitimacy led by Saudi Arabia, will continue steadfastly to protect our people, its institutions and vital facilities, end the Houthi threat, restore the state, and establish security and stability in Yemen.”