Aden residents stockpile food and plan exits as Houthi strikes continue

Residents of Yemen's southern city of Aden are stocking food and planning escape routes after a month of Houthi missile and drone strikes, Al Jazeera reported on Friday, with many fearing a return to full-scale war.

The Houthis have claimed attacks on several sites in Aden, including the international airport, military camps, the port and the presidential palace, which serves as a base for Yemen's government.

Mohammed Abdul Malik said he and close friends have begun buying staples such as sugar. If security worsens and state institutions collapse, he plans to take his family to Shabwa, to the northeast, or Hadramout, to the east. "I'm ready to pack up my family and head out at a moment's notice," he said.

The war flared again in recent months after about four years of relative calm. Early in September, the Houthis, an Iran-backed group also called Ansar Allah, began a major push against areas held by the Saudi-backed National Resistance Forces in the west. Within a week they had taken districts in Hodeidah and Taiz provinces, including the port city of Mocha and the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

A government counteroffensive that began in early October has won only limited ground on the Red Sea coast. The Houthis, meanwhile, have tightened their siege of Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, by seizing a key road to Aden.

Aden had stayed comparatively calm and sheltered thousands of displaced people. The recent attacks have raised fears that the Houthis may be trying to take the city.

Aden international airport, currently Yemen's busiest, has taken the brunt of the strikes. Airlines have cancelled or delayed flights and diverted others to airports elsewhere in Yemen or abroad.

Ahmed Awadh, who lives in the nearby Khor Maksar district, said children in his area are afraid and sleepless. Some families have sent children and elderly relatives to Lahj and Abyan provinces or other parts of Aden, and others have rented homes farther from the airport. Awadh said he and his neighbours set up a WhatsApp group to check on one another after each blast.

Adeeb al-Shatri, a journalism professor at Aden and Hadramout universities, questioned why the internationally recognised government has left its temporary capital without adequate defences against missiles and drones. "Aden is currently the capital, housing both major and minor state institutions. Therefore, the legitimate government must protect it," he said.

The Yemeni military has said it has air defence forces in Aden, with reports of drones intercepted before reaching civilian areas. Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment on the criticism.

Al-Shatri said only a small share of wealthier residents can afford to stockpile, and that most are already struggling to feed their families. He also said movement in the city returns to normal about an hour after an explosion because people must keep earning.