Condemnation Statement
Yemeni Women Empowerment Foundation: The Houthi militia targeted Aden International Airport with ballistic missiles is a terrorist crime and a deliberate threat to the lives of civilians and the safety of civil aviation that requires international accountability
Aden – October 17, 2026AD
The Yemeni Women Empowerment Foundation (YWEF) condemns in the strongest terms the missile attack launched by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, on Friday evening, October 16, 2026, on Aden International Airport with two ballistic missiles, in a new attack, the second in ten days, and constitutes a very serious escalation in a series of Attacks that target civilian and vital installations, and directly threaten the lives of civilians, passengers, and workers in the aviation sector.
The Foundation affirms that the repeated targeting of Aden International Airport with ballistic missiles represents a serious attack on civilian objects protected under international humanitarian law, and reveals a serious disregard for the lives of civilians and the safety of air navigation, and an insistence on transforming civilian airports and service facilities to targets for military attacks.
According to the information announced by the Yemeni Ministry of Transport, one of the missiles landed near the western gate of the airport towards the runway, while the other landed northwest of the airport, in conjunction with the readiness of a Yemeni Airlines plane, flight No. (IYE 612), to take off to Cairo, which necessitated It was evacuated immediately, while another Fly Aden aircraft, Flight QFF101, was coming from Cairo and flying overhead.
That exposing two civil aircraft and their passengers and crews to such a risk reveals the magnitude of the humanitarian disaster that could have occurred, and confirms that these attacks directly affect the security of citizens and their right to life and safe movement, and put the lives of women, children, patients and travelers at risk of death and injury.
YWEF stresses that the use of ballistic missiles to attack a civilian airport is a serious violation of the rules of international humanitarian law, in particular the principle of distinguishing between military targets and civilian objects, the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks, and amounts to a war crime as an eye Civil.
The Foundation considers that the continuation of these attacks, in the absence of deterrent international measures and effective accountability, increases the risks to civilians, and exacerbates human suffering in a war-weary country, where Aden International Airport represents a vital artery for the travel of the sick, wounded, students and families, and for transport basic air and humanitarian needs.
The Houthi militia bears responsibility for the attacks it carries out against civilian facilities, and for the damage and losses that result from them. It is not permissible for the lives of civilians and the safety of flights to become tools of military or political pressure, or for these attacks to pass without investigation and accountability.
The Yemeni Women Empowerment Foundation demands the following:
1. A clear and firm international condemnation of the repeated Houthi attacks on Aden International Airport, and practical measures to protect airports and civilian facilities from missile attacks.
2. Urgent action from the United Nations, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and relevant authorities to ensure the safety of civil aviation and the protection of passengers and air crew.
3. End impunity for serious crimes and violations committed against civilians, and activate mechanisms of accountability, redress and reparation for victims.
YWEF emphasizes that silence about the targeting of civilian airports with ballistic missiles represents a serious failure to protect civilians, and that only statements of concern and condemnation are no longer an adequate response to the repetition of these attacks.
The Foundation renews its call for a responsible international stance that goes beyond verbal condemnation to deterrent and effective measures, puts an end to Houthi attacks on civilian facilities, and ensures that those responsible do not escape accountability.