Explosions reported at key military airbase in S. Yemen

25/7/2025 6:14

Loud explosions were reported Thursday evening at a key military airbase of Yemen's government forces in the country's southern province of Lahj, local residents told Xinhua.

Residents living in areas surrounding the southern military airbase of Al Anad reported hearing multiple loud explosions coming from the direction of the base's arms depots during evening hours. The sounds were audible across nearby communities, prompting concern among local populations.

"Apparently, one of the weapons depots inside the airbase exploded, and rockets and shells are seen flying everywhere," one resident told Xinhua by phone, describing the intensity of the incident.

Local authorities have yet to issue any official statement regarding the nature of the explosions or whether they resulted from an attack.

Al Anad airbase serves as one of Yemen's largest and most important military installations, located approximately 60 km north of Aden, where the internationally recognized government is based.

The base that functions as a key operational center for Yemen's government forces, experienced repeated incidents in recent years, with several attacks attributed to the Houthi militant group, which controls significant territory in northern and western Yemen.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since 2014, when Houthi forces seized control of the capital city of Sanaa and much of the country's north, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in support of the internationally recognized government in 2015.