Houthi missiles hit Aden presidential palace; Yemen says five killed

Yemen’s Houthis fired missiles at the Al-Maashiq presidential palace complex in the southern port city of Aden on Thursday, 15 October, killing five people and wounding 16, the government said, according to The Guardian, citing Reuters and AFP.

What officials reported

• Health Minister Qasim Buhaibeh said the dead and wounded included security guards and civilian employees at the palace, the temporary seat of Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government.
• Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani and cabinet members were safe. Yemen’s cabinet said the attack involved missiles and drones.
• Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had bombed what it called the Saudi military operations headquarters in Aden.

Escalation context

• The Guardian said it was the first attack on Aden’s Al-Maashiq palace in the current fighting between the Iran-aligned Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition.
• AFP reported a Yemeni minister, speaking anonymously, said a coalition command centre was hit by three missiles and coalition headquarters at the complex by two, with Yemeni and Saudi casualties.
• The same day, the UN Security Council condemned escalatory Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on Riyadh’s airport. The Saudi-led coalition earlier listed dozens of recent Houthi attempts against Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities.