The Ethiopian National Defence Forces retook Alula Aba Nega Airport, about 10 kilometres from central Mekelle, on Saturday, according to people familiar with developments in the city and a humanitarian source.

A Mekelle resident, quoted by Reuters, also confirmed that government forces had taken control of the airport and reported hearing gunfire outside the city centre.

The resident said some Tigrayan Defence Force fighters had abandoned their positions and returned home, while government facilities in the city were being looted.

The reports could not be independently verified. Severe disruptions to internet and mobile phone networks have made it difficult to establish developments in Tigray, while neither the Ethiopian government nor the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) had issued an immediate statement on the reported capture.

A source close to the TPLF told Reuters that Mekelle had been surrounded by government troops and allied militias.

The airport was among three airports in Tigray seized by opposition forces when the latest fighting began on September 23. Its recapture would represent a significant setback for the Tigrayan-led alliance, although analysts say it is unlikely to bring the conflict to an end.

It also remained unclear whether federal forces had regained control of Mekelle itself.

An Ethiopian general, speaking anonymously, told The Associated Press that the military was in full control of the airport. An AP contributor in Mekelle reported that residents were concerned about possible looting amid uncertainty over control of the city.

The latest clashes are the most serious escalation since Ethiopia's 2020-2022 Tigray war, which killed large numbers of people and displaced millions.

The renewed fighting has raised fears that the conflict could expand beyond Ethiopia's borders and draw in other countries in the Horn of Africa and the Gulf.

The United States has urged Ethiopia and Eritrea to exercise restraint and return to dialogue, warning that another military conflict and humanitarian crisis would have serious regional consequences.

"The Horn of Africa cannot sustain another military conflict and humanitarian crisis," US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

Ethiopia severed diplomatic ties with Eritrea this week, accusing it of supporting the Tigrayan-led opposition alliance alongside Sudan and Egypt. The three countries have denied the allegations.

The dispute has added to concerns that the latest fighting could develop into a broader regional confrontation.

Mekelle was also a major battlefield in the previous Tigray war. Federal forces captured the city in the first month of that conflict in 2020, before the TPLF recaptured it seven months later.

The reported recapture of the airport therefore marks a significant shift in the latest fighting, but the wider battle for control of Tigray remains unresolved.