What happened

Explosions and gunfire tore through Aden International Airport on 30 December 2020 minutes after a plane carrying members of Yemen's newly formed unity government touched down, killing 28 people and injuring 107, most of them airport staff, aid workers and journalists rather than the arriving officials, all of whom escaped unharmed. Yemen's government said four ballistic missiles were fired and blamed the Houthi movement; the Houthis denied responsibility and pointed to infighting between the government and southern separatists, while the Southern Transitional Council blamed the Houthis, Qatar and Turkey. Western officials said the Houthis were the likely culprit without ruling out al-Qaeda or separatist involvement. A subsequent UN investigation and an open-source analysis by Bellingcat and the Yemeni Archive both concluded the strikes were consistent with missiles launched from Houthi-controlled territory. The attack underscored the fragility of the Saudi-brokered power-sharing deal the new cabinet had been formed to implement.

When cited sources give different casualty, damage or spill figures for this event, they’re reported side by side above rather than merged into one number. See how confidence levels work.