Houthi forces attacked the Al-Maashiq presidential palace in Aden with missiles and drones, killing five people and injuring 16. The UN Security Council condemned the attacks as part of escalating regional tensions.
Houthi forces launched a missile and drone attack on the Al-Maashiq presidential palace in Aden, Yemen, on Thursday, killing five people and injuring 16 others, according to Yemeni government officials. The palace serves as the temporary seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
Yemen’s Minister of Public Health and Population, Qasim Buhaibeh, stated that the casualties included security guards and civilian employees working at the government complex. Yemen’s Minister of Information, Moammar al-Eryani, confirmed that Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani and other cabinet members were safe following the strike.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group targeted what he described as the "Saudi Enemy Military Operations Command" in Aden. "The shelling of the Saudi enemy’s war operations headquarters in Aden comes within the framework of the declared equation of targeting Saudi military build-ups wherever they may be, and considering any military presence of the Saudi enemy a legitimate target for our forces," Saree said in a statement.
According to Saba News Agency, controlled by the Yemeni government, the attack involved both missiles and drones. Witnesses reported loud booms and smoke rising from the vicinity of the palace, which sits on a fortified rocky outcrop overlooking the city.
The attack occurred amid heightened tensions between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, linked to the broader conflict involving Iran. The UN Security Council issued a joint statement on Thursday strongly condemning the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes affecting civilian aviation and energy infrastructure. The Council also condemned "continued Houthi attacks and threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab [strait]."
Saudi Arabia reported that King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has been targeted by 20 Houthi attacks since the beginning of October, resulting in 17 deaths and more than 330 injuries. On Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a cruise missile over the Medina province and a drone in the Eastern Province, a major oil-producing region. The Houthis denied involvement in the Medina attack, having previously pledged not to target airports in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly stated that Saudi Arabia had called for meetings with the Houthis in Oman in July to resolve differences, but the group refused to participate. Krimly noted that Saudi Arabia maintains direct communication channels with the Houthis and did not ask Iran to mediate.
Inside Yemen, the fighting has revived civil war conditions after four years of relative calm. The World Food Programme reported it can no longer reach more than 600,000 people in the besieged city of Taiz, where residents face shortages of basic necessities. The International Committee of the Red Cross noted that Taiz has seen some of the "highest casualty burdens" in the country.
The attack on the presidential palace marks a significant escalation in the conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government, threatening to further destabilize the region. The targeting of high-profile government sites and Saudi infrastructure has disrupted global markets and aviation, while humanitarian conditions in Yemen continue to deteriorate. The UN Security Council's condemnation highlights international concern over the potential for wider regional conflict.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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