CAIRO (AP) – Yemen’s prime minister said on Saturday that a missile attack on Aden airport was to “eliminate” the country’s new government as it reached the southern city, a daring attack that blamed rebels backed by Iran. .
Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed spoke to The Associated Press in an interview at his office at Mashiq Palace in Aden. It was the leader’s first interview with international media after he survived Wednesday’s attack that killed at least 25 people and injured 110 more.
“It is a major terrorist attack that sought to overthrow the government,” the prime minister said. “It was a message against peace and stability in Yemen.”
Saeed reiterated his government’s allegations that Yemen’s Houthi rebels were responsible for the missile attack at the airport and a drone attack on the palace shortly after the prime minister and his cabinet were moved there. .
The new Yemeni government was formed in December to end a dangerous political rift with southern separatists, backed by the United Arab Emirates. The internal rift threatened the UAE’s collaboration with Saudi Arabia fighting Houthis in Yemen.
Saeed said the “techniques” used in the airport missile attack were hallmarks of the Houthis’ strategy.
Houthi officials have denied being behind the attack, but have tried to blame unspecified groups in the Saudi-led coalition. Rebel leaders have not submitted any evidence or responded to requests for comment.
Houthis have carried out similar attacks in the past. In 2015, former Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and members of his cabinet survived a missile attack, blamed on the Houthis, which attacked a government-used Aden hotel. Last year, Houthis fired a missile at a military parade of a United Arab Emirates militia at an Aden base and killed dozens.
The attack it took place moments after a plane carrying Saeed and his cabinet members landed at the airport. AP images of the Aden airport scene showed members of the government delegation disembarking as the blast shook the asphalt, with many ministers rushing back inside. from the plane or ran down the stairs seeking refuge.
Saeed said three precisely guided missiles had attacked the facility, aimed at his plane, the arrivals hall and the airport VIP lounge.
“The accuracy of the guide was great. The operation was huge, ”he said.
The prime minister said Yemeni investigators have collected the remains of the missiles and that experts from the coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the US would help determine the type and origin of the missiles.
Saeed and his newly formed cabinet were returning to Yemen a week after being sworn in before Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where the clashing leader resides.
Cabinet remodeling was part of a power-sharing agreement between the Hadi, backed by Saudi Arabia, and the secessionist Southern Transition Council, an umbrella group of militias that sought to restore an independent southern Yemen, which had existed since 1967. until unification in 1990.
Saeed, the prime minister, said his government would prioritize “security and stability” in government areas after months of fighting between the Hadi government and the STC.
“Whatever the challenge in Aden, the government remains,” he said.
He also noted that “huge” economic challenges were the focus of his government.
The conflict in the most impoverished nation in the Arab world began when the Houthis captured the capital of Sanaa in 2014, forcing the Hadi government to flee.
The following year, the Saudi-led coalition intervened against Iran-backed rebels in what has become a stagnant war. Since then, more than 112,000 people – combatants and civilians – have been killed.
Aden Airport is expected to reopen on Sunday, Transport Minister Abdel-Salam Hamied announced during a visit to the facility.