Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired missiles and drones at the presidential palace complex in Aden on Thursday, killing five people and wounding 16 others. The attack hit the official headquarters of Yemen’s internationally recognised government. Prime Minister and cabinet members escaped unharmed though civilian employees and guards were among the casualties.
This marks the first strike on Aden’s Al-Maashiq palace since fighting resumed between the Iran-aligned Houthis and Saudi-backed forces last month amid wider regional tensions.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed the strike targeted a Saudi military operations center and weapons depot inside the complex. However, these claims could not be independently verified. Shortly after Saree warned commercial airlines that Saudi airspace and airports remain unsafe though airspace over Mecca and Medina remains excluded.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led military coalition detailed a sharp rise in Houthi strikes targeting Saudi civilian infrastructure. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki reported 20 Houthi attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport this month alone which killed 17 people and injured 333. Separate strikes on Abha airport near the Yemeni border killed three people and injured 28.
The UN’s aviation agency strongly condemned the strikes on civilian airports and aircraft.
Maliki accused regional allies primarily Iran of supplying the Houthis with advanced ballistic missiles, drones and explosive boats though Tehran denies violating UN arms embargoes. In response the coalition forces destroyed 127 Houthi weapon depots and launch sites in Yemen's mountains and intercepted drones over Khamis Mushait and southern Saudi Arabia.
The renewed fighting breaks a peaceful period that held since a 2022 truce. As government forces push to reclaim territory near the critical Bab el-Mandeb shipping route, Houthi cross-border attacks pose a severe threat to regional safety, civilian aviation and economic stability. Aid agencies warn conditions for Yemeni civilians are deteriorating rapidly.
