Mohammed Aydah, a Yemeni correspondent for Saudi Arabia-owned channels Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath, was killed on June 25, 2026, when an explosive device planted under the driver’s seat detonated in his vehicle in the city of Mukalla, in Yemen's eastern Hadramout governorate.
Mukalla security authorities had warned Aydah a month prior that his life was in danger, but failed to elaborate. No group has claimed responsibility.
In late 2018, Aydah was chased and nearly arrested by armed members of the Houthi group in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. He began his career as a cameraman for the Yemeni Al-Saeedah channel before going on to work with Al-Hurra channel and Al-Arabiya.
Since December 2025 a key political shift has taken place in Yemen which saw the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council temporarily seize oil-rich Hadramout governorate, only to lose the region to Saudi-backed forces before disbanding entirely in January 2026.
Since 2024, at least 33 Yemeni journalists have been killed by Israel, the Houthi group, and Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
CPJ contacted the Yemeni Embassy in Washington for comment on the killing of Aydah but did not immediately respond to requests for comment.