ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group struck the international airport in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden on Friday night, Aden's security administration said, while the Saudi-led coalition said earlier it had intercepted fresh drones and missiles over Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea.
Aden's security administration said in a statement that two missiles landed inside the grounds of Aden International Airport, with preliminary information indicating no casualties.
A local security official earlier told Xinhua that two missiles had landed near Aden International Airport, while a third struck a military base near the headquarters of the Saudi-led coalition forces in Al Buraiqa district in western Aden.
Three powerful explosions rocked the city, the temporary seat of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, during the attack, a Xinhua reporter on the ground and local residents said. Ambulances were seen heading toward the affected areas.
Shortly after the attack, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV cited a military leader within the group as saying the group had targeted "the headquarters of Saudi forces and weapons depots" at Badr military camp near Aden International Airport.
The attack came a day after missiles struck the Al-Ma'ashiq Presidential Palace compound in Aden, killing five people and wounding 16 others, according to the government. The Houthi group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had targeted a "Saudi military operations headquarters" inside the presidential palace compound.
Earlier on Friday, the Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki said coalition forces had intercepted and destroyed three drones in Saudi Arabia's southern region and the capital Riyadh region, as well as a fourth launched toward the Eastern Province.
The forces had also intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles over the Red Sea and a ballistic missile launched toward Yanbu, a port city on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, the spokesperson said.
The repeated attacks come amid an escalating exchange of strikes between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, a main ally of Yemen's government.
The coalition said Thursday that Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh had killed 17 people and injured more than 330 others since Oct. 1, with the airport coming under 20 attacks during the two-week period.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei reiterated Friday that Iran was ready to help resolve differences between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis "if requested by both sides," rejecting allegations that Tehran had played a role in Houthi operations, Iranian media reported.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, forcing the government out of the capital. ■
