Irada Condemns the Targeting of Aden International Airport and Calls for the Protection of Civilians and Civilian Facilities

Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance condemns in the strongest terms the attack that targeted Aden International Airport at dawn on Wednesday, using ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones. The attack constituted a grave assault on a vital civilian facility, endangered the lives of passengers, airport personnel, and flight crews, and threatened the safety of civil aviation.

According to information received by Irada Organization, one of the two missiles landed near the airport runway just minutes before Yemenia Airways Flight No. 603, arriving from the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and carrying civilian passengers, was scheduled to land. The attack also coincided with the presence of passengers at the airport awaiting a flight bound for Jeddah, alongside airport workers, employees, and flight crews.

Irada Organization stresses that targeting airports, civilian facilities, and other civilian objects, and endangering the lives of civilians, constitutes a serious violation of the rules of international humanitarian law and the principles governing the protection of civilians. Such attacks also directly infringe upon citizens’ rights to life, security, and freedom of movement, while threatening one of the most vital civilian gateways on which Yemenis rely for travel, medical treatment, and returning to their country.

The Organization notes that this attack recalls the attack on Aden International Airport on 30 December 2020, which coincided with the arrival of the Yemeni government at the airport and resulted in deaths and injuries, as well as damage to the airport and its facilities. The Organization considers that repeated attacks on civilian facilities compound the risks faced by civilians and threaten the safety and security of vital infrastructure in Yemen.

Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance calls upon the United Nations, the Security Council, relevant international human rights mechanisms, and international bodies concerned with civil aviation safety to take a clear position regarding attacks on civilian facilities and to work to ensure respect for the rules of international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians and vital infrastructure from military attacks.

The Organization also calls for a serious and independent investigation into the circumstances of the attack, holding accountable all those found responsible for planning, ordering, or participating in its execution, and taking measures to ensure that perpetrators of grave violations do not escape impunity.

Irada Organization reiterates that the protection of civilians and civilian facilities must remain a binding obligation for all parties to the conflict, and that civilian airports, means of transportation, and facilities serving the population must not be made targets of military operations under any circumstances contrary to the provisions of international humanitarian law.

Issued by:Irada Organization against Torture and Enforced Disappearance

Wednesday, 7 October 2026 – Geneva