Geneva – SAM for Rights and Liberties stated that the Houthi group launched two ballistic missile attacks on Aden International Airport in southern Yemen on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, as passengers were preparing to depart and four flights were scheduled to operate. The attacks prompted the evacuation of the airport and the suspension of flights, placing passengers, airport personnel, and aircraft crews at direct risk. According to Yemen’s Ministry of Transport, the latest attacks brought the total number of assaults on the airport to six within a matter of days, marking an escalation that raises serious concerns about civil aviation safety and the protection of civilian infrastructure.
The organization explained that the Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, called on those present at the airport to evacuate, claiming that a Saudi military cargo aircraft carrying weapons was at the facility. However, even if substantiated, this claim does not entitle the group to attack the airport indiscriminately or endanger civilians. International humanitarian law requires parties to armed conflicts to verify the military nature of their targets, distinguish between military objectives and civilian objects, and refrain from attacks expected to cause civilian harm excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.
In a development that raises serious questions about the timing and effectiveness of the warning, Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing a source in the Aden police, reported that one of the missiles had struck the airport grounds before the Houthi group issued its evacuation warning. SAM emphasized that issuing a warning to civilians, whether before an attack or after it has begun, does not relieve the attacking party of its legal obligations or render lawful an attack that violates the principles of distinction, proportionality, or the precautionary measures required to protect civilians.
Tawfiq Al-Hamidi, President of SAM for Rights and Liberties, said: “The Houthi group bears responsibility for launching missiles at Aden Airport and endangering the lives of passengers, airport personnel, and aircraft crews. Claims about the presence of a weapons shipment cannot be used as a pretext for shelling a facility used for civil aviation. Likewise, issuing an evacuation warning after a missile has already struck, according to published reports, neither erases the danger to which civilians were exposed nor absolves those responsible for the attack of accountability. Civilian airports are not open battlegrounds for military attacks, and protecting lives within them is a legal obligation that must not be disregarded.”
The organization affirmed that Aden International Airport was performing its civilian functions at the time of the attacks, with scheduled flights, passengers, and airport personnel present, requiring heightened precautions to prevent harm to civilians. In this context, SAM referred to satellite imagery published by Al Jazeera before the attacks, showing runway rehabilitation work, as well as aviation data indicating the continued operation of civilian flights from the airport. Although these materials do not document the moment of the strikes or the missile impact sites, they provide evidence of the airport’s civilian use during the period preceding the attacks.
SAM further stated that the repeated attacks on Aden Airport, along with the resulting disruption of flights and threats to the safety of passengers and airport personnel, raise serious concerns about the continued exposure of a vital facility serving the civilian population to the dangers of military operations. These concerns are particularly acute given civilians’ reliance on air transport for travel, medical treatment, and other essential needs.
The organization stressed that international humanitarian law prohibits attacks directed against civilians and civilian objects, as well as indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, and requires parties to armed conflicts to take all feasible precautions to avoid, and in any event minimize, civilian casualties. It emphasized that the potential presence of a military objective within or near a civilian facility does not deprive its remaining civilian components or the people present there of their legal protection, nor does it exempt the attacking party from complying with the rules of international humanitarian law.
SAM considered that shelling an airport serving civilian flights under these circumstances raises serious concerns about possible grave violations of international humanitarian law, which may amount to war crimes if the relevant legal elements are established. These include the nature of the targets, the extent to which their status was verified, the precautions taken, and the civilian harm that could reasonably have been anticipated at the time the decision to attack was made.
SAM called for an independent and transparent investigation into the attacks on Aden International Airport, including identifying the missile impact sites and examining missile remnants, documenting damage, reviewing flight schedules and aircraft movement records, collecting testimonies from passengers, airport personnel, and eyewitnesses, and verifying the timing of the evacuation warning in relation to the launch and impact of the missiles. The investigation should also examine claims concerning the presence of military objectives within the airport.
The organization also demanded accountability for all individuals found responsible for ordering, planning, or carrying out unlawful attacks. It urged the United Nations and the international community to take decisive action to protect airports and civilian infrastructure in Yemen, exert pressure to halt attacks that endanger civilian lives and civil aviation safety, and ensure that those responsible for violations do not escape accountability.