Blasts hit Yemen's Aden airport after Saudi-backed 'regime' arrives

Explosions have hit an airport in Yemen’s southern city of Aden after a plane carrying a self-proclaimed regime backed by Saudi Arabia landed from Riyadh.

"At least two explosions were heard as the cabinet members were leaving the aircraft" on Wednesday, according to the reports.

A local security source said three mortar shells had landed on the airport’s hall. Sporadic gunfire was also heard.

The blasts left at least 10 people dead and “dozens” more injured, a medical source said.

Yemen’s self-proclaimed information minister Moammar al-Eryani said on Twitter that all the members of the Saudi-backed cabinet were “fine”.

The self-proclaimed cabinet was formed in Saudi Arabia on December 18. It includes ministers supporting the government of former Saudi-backed Yemeni president Mansur Hadi, and UAE-backed militants.

Al-Eryani blamed the Wednesday's incident on the Ansarullah movement, which rejected any role in the attack.

Muhammad al-Bukhaiti, a spokesman for the movement, said the attack is a reckoning for the conflict between the separatists and Hadi’s loyalists.

The Riyadh-sponsored push to form the government aimed to mend the rift between Saudi-sponsored and UAE-backed militants which has threatened to shatter the coalition involved in a devastating military campaign against the impoverished West Asian country.

After the Wednesday's attack, the members of the self-proclaimed cabinet were transferred into Maasheq palace.

Later on Wednesday, reports cited residents as saying that explosions were heard around the palace.

SS