Fighting has intensified across Yemen, with battles spreading to several provinces as Operation "Dawn of Yemen" entered its 25th day and Houthi attacks on civilian areas and infrastructure continued in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition said Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile fired toward the kingdom's Eastern Province early on Thursday. Yemen's armed forces said on Thursday evening they had carried out 982 strikes on Houthi positions and fortifications in 24 hours, killing or incapacitating 324 commanders and fighters and destroying 108 military vehicles. The strikes came as Operation "Dawn of Yemen," launched by Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi to reclaim Houthi-held territory and restore state authority, entered its 25th day. Authorities in Taiz called for an urgent investigation into reports that Houthi forces had fired shells suspected of containing internationally banned toxic substances. They said earlier incidents had left civilians and soldiers suffering breathing difficulties, with some losing consciousness, and called for specialized testing to establish whether the symptoms were linked to substances released by the shells. The authorities urged investigators to document witness accounts, medical records and reported cases, and identify any substances used. They also called on the United Nations and international organizations to support the inquiry and hold those responsible accountable if the allegations were confirmed. Health officials in Taiz said Houthi shelling struck an ambulance on Wednesday as it tried to evacuate an injured civilian from a village in the al-Awat area, west of al-Shaqab in the Sabr al-Mawadim district, south of Taiz city. The ambulance was badly damaged and put out of service. The strike came amid heavy shelling of villages around Jabal Sabr, the officials said. They also reported that another ambulance had been hit by a shell the previous week and that Houthis had looted 15 ambulances from health offices and medical centers across several districts. Aden airport reopens after missile strikes Fighting spread from the outskirts of Taiz to fronts in Lahj province, Dhubab and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as coalition warplanes stepped up strikes along Yemen's western coast and Houthi missiles again targeted Aden International Airport. Aden airport resumed operations on Thursday after engineers repaired runway damage caused by Houthi ballistic missile strikes the previous day. Aviation sources said technical teams had worked intensively to restore the runway and allow flights to resume. The Houthis fired two ballistic missiles at the airport on Wednesday, one at 1 p.m. local time and another at 3 p.m. This frame grab taken from AFPTV video footage on October 28, 2026 shows smoke rising after a missile targeted Yemen's Aden airport for the second time. (Photo by AFPTV / AFP) The group, which had demanded the airport be evacuated before the strikes, claimed it was targeting a military cargo aircraft. Airport security sources, however, reported no casualties or material damage. The attacks drew widespread condemnation over the targeting of a civilian airport. Critics said the Houthis' warnings to civilians on social media shortly before the strikes did not absolve the group of criminal responsibility and amounted to psychological pressure and intimidation against civilians and travelers. Yemen's Transport Ministry condemned the attacks, saying the latest two strikes brought the number targeting the airport to six in recent days. It warned that the shelling endangered passengers, aircrews and airport workers, threatened air traffic and posed serious risks to humanitarian and relief operations. The ministry held the Houthis fully responsible and urged the international community and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to act urgently to protect civilian facilities and ensure aviation safety. Yemenia Airways said it had diverted flights bound for Aden to Djibouti airport following the shelling. The airline said the disruption was beyond its control and that the diversions were necessary to protect passengers, crews and aircraft and comply with aviation safety requirements. Fighting spreads along western front Ground fighting widened to the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Dhubab district, where military sources said government forces had repelled Houthi infiltration attempts. The Houthis said they had attacked government positions in the two areas with ballistic missiles and heavy weapons. In northwestern Lahj province, the Southern Giants Brigades struck Houthi concentrations along the al-Mudaraba and al-Subaiha front, inflicting casualties as clashes involving various weapons erupted. Coalition warplanes backed the ground operations with a series of strikes along the western coast, including four targeting Houthi positions and movements near the port city of Mokha. Other airstrikes hit Houthi fortifications in Jabal al-Nar, east of Mokha. Government forces also repelled an attack on Kahlan and Hamma villages in the al-Misrakh district, west of Taiz, while military units continued clearing recently recaptured positions along the al-Dhabab front, around Jabal Han and near the old airport. Artillery exchanges continued along the al-Shaqab, al-Aqrud and Sameh fronts in eastern and southern Taiz province.
