[14][15][16] In order to deal with the infighting between the Yemeni government forces and those of the secessionist Southern Transitional Council, a new cabinet was formed with the backing of neighbouring Saudi Arabia.

[17][18] The formation of the new unity government, which includes equal numbers of representatives from each region of Yemen's northern and southern areas, was the result of over a year's worth of intense negotiations mediated by the Saudis, and was meant to end the infighting so that the two sides could fight together against the Houthi rebels in the ongoing civil war.

[22][23] The newly formed and internationally recognized government had planned to televise its return from Saudi Arabia to Yemen, to signal to its citizens that their worries were going to be addressed.

[3][9][f] A local security source had reported that "three mortar shells had landed on the airport's hall", while Yemeni Communication Minister Naguib al-Awg [ar], who was among those flown in, has suggested they were drone strikes, and a spokesperson for the chairman of the Southern Transitional Council believed they were missiles.

[18][21][10] Yasmin al-Awadhi, deputy minister of housing and urban development at the Ministry of Public Works and Highways and one of the few female government officials, was killed in the attack.

[33][4][32] Yemen's Foreign Minister Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak initially blamed the Houthis for the attack, and stated that four ballistic missiles had been fired at the airport, but made the statement without providing evidence.

[10][7] The Houthis denied responsibility, with its deputy information secretary placing the blame on the continued infighting between the government and the Southern Transitional Council, and naming the latter as the party most likely to have carried out the attack.

[38][7] Western[clarification needed] officials stated that it was likely the work of Houthi rebels, but had not ruled out al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) or dissatisfied southern separatist factions.

[27] Al Jazeera confirmed that there had been more than eight raids, while Houthi-owned television channel Almasirah reported that fifteen different locations had been hit in the city and the surrounding governorate, including sites in Sanhan and Bani Hashish Districts.

[38] The airport reopened on 3 January 2021 amidst continued reconstruction, with Transport Minister Abdel Salam Hamid having announced the previous day that flights would return to normal.

[47][48] The Houthi offensive continued for at least five days, with a spokesperson for the Yemeni army reporting that, in total, 12 people had been killed, 30 injured, and 50 taken as civilian hostages.

[49] On 7 January 2021, the UN secretary-general's special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, visited the airport to review the damage sustained and met with members of the new cabinet.

[56][57][58][59][12] UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock explained that because about 90 percent of the food in Yemen is imported, and formally designating the Houthis as an FTO would result in parties previously contributing to the food supply chain possibly aborting operations for fear of being put out of business or in jail due to U.S. regulations associated with the designation, Pompeo's decision would likely result in "a large-scale famine on a scale that we have not seen for nearly 40 years".

[64] Twenty-two aid groups, including International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, and Save the Children, urged the Biden administration to revoke the designation to avoid "put[ting] millions of lives at risk" and "hurt[ing] UN-led efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict".

[68] However, the UN has noted that parties contributing to the food supply chain still intend to withdraw from Yemen due to the terrorist designation, notwithstanding the Treasury's month-long exemption.

[72][73] On 5 February, a U.S. State Department official confirmed that the Biden administration was planning to revoke the terrorist designation, after having informed members of Congress of the decision earlier that day.

[79][80][19] Prime Minister Saeed later announced that "[p]reliminary results of the investigation ... show that Houthi militants were behind the attack" which was carried out by guided missiles, and that Iranian experts had also been involved.

[3][1] By analyzing the crater it made and the smoke rising from it after it exploded, the investigators determined that the missile that landed in the parking area came from the northwest, roughly in the direction of Taiz.

[5] UN Secretary-General António Guterres "condemn[ed] the deplorable attack" on the airport, and offered condolences to the victims' families as well as the Yemeni government and its people, as reported by his special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths.

[98] The European Union strongly condemned the attack and reaffirmed its belief that "there can only be a political solution to the conflict in Yemen", offering condolences to the victims' families and support for those seeking a peaceful resolution.

[99][100] A spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack in Aden, which he blamed on the Saudi-led coalition, and called for dialogue instead of violence.