Members of the newly formed cabinet of the Yemeni government, including Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, were greeted with a loud explosion shortly after his plane landed in the city of Aden on Wednesday, in which an official launched a “cowardly terrorist attack by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia. ‘
A local security source told Reuters that three mortar shells hit the airport terminal and killed at least five people and injured dozens more. According to reports, there were no government officials among the injured.
Video of the incident broadcast on a television channel began with a loud explosion when people left a plane, asking bystanders to start running. Smoke could then be seen flowing from the terminal building of the airport, followed by the sounds of gunfire. Then the feed is cut off.
Dust rises after explosions hit Aden Airport, with the arrival of the newly formed Yemeni government in Aden, on 30 December. (Reuters)
(Reuters)
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Images also shared from the scene on social media showed debris and broken glass scattered near the airport building and at least two lifeless bodies, one of which was charred, lying on the ground. In another image, a man tried to help another man whose clothes were torn to rise from the ground.
A Yemeni government official later blamed Iran-backed Houthi rebels for carrying out the violence.
“We assure the people of our great people that all members of the government are doing well, and we reaffirm that the cowardly terrorist attack carried out by the Iranian – backed Houthi militia on Aden Airport will not deter us from patriotic duty and that our blood and soul will not be more precious than the blood of Yemenis, ‘Muammar Al-Eryani, his information, culture and tourism minister, wrote in a tweet.
“We feel sorry for the souls of the martyrs, and we want to recover the injured quickly,” he added.
People react when dust rises after explosions hit Aden Airport.
(Reuters)
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The government of Saudi-backed Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi is at war with Iran-allied Houthi rebels, who control most of northern Yemen as well as the country’s capital, Sanaa.
Last year, the Houthi fired a missile at a military parade of newly graduated fighters from a militia loyal to the United Arab Emirates on a military base in Aden, killing dozens.
The delegation returns to Aden after she was sworn in last week as part of a reshuffle following an agreement with rival southern separatists backed by the UAE. The internationally recognized government of Yemen mostly worked from self-imposed exile in the Saudi capital Riyadh during the country’s long civil war.
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President Hadi, in exile in Saudi Arabia, announced a cabinet reform earlier this month.
The reform is seen as an important step towards closing a dangerous divide between his government and the southern separatists.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.