Regional forces in Ethiopia's Tigray have seized control of Mekelle airport from federal police, marking an escalation in tensions between the government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). Ethiopian Airlines has suspended flights to Mekelle and two other cities, and the TPLF has announced an alliance with six armed groups aimed at removing the federal government. These developments have raised fears of a return to civil war, just over three years after a devastating two-year conflict formally ended in November 2022.

The airport seizure follows a series of reported drone strikes across Tigray, including an attack on Tuesday in the town of Alamata that killed at least 14 people and injured 22, according to local authorities. The town's mayor said more than five drones and a fighter jet carried out over 21 strikes, with civilian schools allegedly targeted. Both the government and TPLF have accused each other of violating the African Union-mediated peace deal, and the previous war—which left an estimated 600,000 people dead—demonstrated the human cost of renewed conflict. The US State Department has condemned a separate drone strike on a Catholic food aid convoy and called for dialogue between the parties.