Missiles struck Aden International Airport in southern Yemen on Friday, while a Saudi-led military coalition announced it had intercepted a ballistic missile directed at the Red Sea city of Yanbu, an important Saudi oil hub that enables exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

The coalition added that it had destroyed two cruise missiles over the Red Sea and three drones in Saudi Arabia southern and Riyadh regions. Officials did not name those responsible for the attacks.

In Aden, two missiles landed on airport grounds, according to the Aden Security Department, which blamed the Iran-backed Houthi group. The department noted this was the second attack on the facility in under a week. The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility.

No casualties were reported. A Yemenia Airways flight bound for Cairo was preparing for takeoff when the missiles landed, the security department said.

Yanbu remains vital for Saudi oil exports

Yanbu serves as a key outlet for Saudi oil exports, allowing the kingdom to ship crude to global markets via the Red Sea without passing through the Strait of Hormuz, where rising regional tensions have raised shipping safety concerns.

Brent crude briefly reached $110 a barrel on Friday for the first time since May, as worries over escalating Middle East tensions raised concerns about tighter global supplies.

Saudi Civil Defense authorities earlier issued alerts in the Jazan region and the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, where such warnings have become frequent since fighting resumed last month.

Houthi attacks heighten fears of worsening humanitarian crisis

Fighting between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen government has raised fears of further deterioration in the country humanitarian crisis. Aid agencies have warned that conditions are worsening rapidly.

The Yemen conflict has become another front in the wider regional war that began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Yemen war started in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and forced the internationally recognized government south. A Saudi-led intervention began the following year, leading to years of stalemate before a 2022 truce that held until this year.

The Houthis have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia since the conflict reignited, targeting airports, oil facilities and other infrastructure. In recent days, the group has also targeted sites in government-held parts of Yemen, including Aden airport and the presidential palace in the interim capital.

A spokesperson for the Houthi-run health ministry said on Friday that 124 civilians had been killed and 327 wounded in what he described as Saudi aggression since the escalation began on September 3. Reuters could not independently verify the figures.