Remnants of the former Yemeni government loyal to Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the forces allied with Saudi Arabia, today launched a surprise attack on the international airport in the southern port city of Aden, seizing it and several nearby districts.
The Shi’ite Houthis, who had been in control of the airport, insisted they withdrew from the city after “cleansing” it of al-Qaeda forces. There has been fighting in the city for months, throughout the Saudi-led war against the Houthis.
The Hadi forces have made considerable gains against the Houthis in recent days, after agreeing to a ceasefire which was supposed to begin Friday night, and theoretically should still be in place. Throughout the ceasefire, the Saudis have continued to attack, and the Hadi forces have taken advantage to seize territory.
Hadi officials cheered the retaking of parts of Aden, saying they believe they’ll have the whole city under their control in the coming days. Whether that will lead to new humanitarian aid shipments to the city, or simply more Saudi military aid drops into the area, remains to be seen.