Explosions rock Aden airport as new Yemen government lands on Riyadh flight

It is unclear whether the attacks were drone strikes or mortar shells fired from nearby positions.

Casualties have been reported although the death toll is yet to confirmed.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nasser Al-Sharif and the representative of the Aden governor were hurt in the blasts, though their conditions have yet to be revealed.

Footage that emerged online showed the moments ministers began disembarked the aircraft before a loud explosion was heard and fumes of black smoke filled the air.

It is unclear who launched the attack but a senior member of the Houthi group said: "We have no involvement in the Aden attacks.

"Accusations targeting the group is yet another attempt to pull us into a conflict between mercenaries," Houthi official Muhammad Al-Bukhaiti said.

On Saturday, Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi ordered the new unity government to return to the interim capital Aden to begin its duties, following a swearing-in ceremony in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Yemen's internationally-recognised government and southern separatists formed a new cabinet on Friday, forging a joint front against Houthi rebels who have seized much of the north.

The new government was formed under the auspices of Saudi Arabia, which leads a military coalition against the Iran-backed Houthis, who took control of the capital Sanaa in 2014.

Since the military intervention in 2015, more than 100,000 people, mainly civilians, have been killed in Yemen, where the conflict has been described as the "world's worst humanitarian crisis".

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