Houthi missile attack on Yemen presidential palace kills five, injures 16

ADEN : The Houthis launched a deadly missile attack on the presidential palace in the Yemeni government’s interim capital of Aden on Thursday, as Saudi Arabia accused Iran of fuelling a dramatic escalation in the long-running conflict.

The attack hit command centres inside the Al-Maashiq presidential compound used by government forces and the Saudi-led military coalition supporting them, a Yemeni minister said on condition of anonymity.

Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognised Yemeni government it backs have come under sustained Houthi attacks in recent weeks, shifting the focus of the wider Middle East war that erupted with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

The Iran-backed Houthis have seized swathes of territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline in recent weeks, while a government counteroffensive supported by Saudi air strikes has so far failed to reverse their gains.

Yemeni Health Minister Qasim Buhaibeh said Thursday’s attack killed five people and injured 16 others “among those working to guard the site and civilian employees”.

An AFP journalist saw smoke rising from the area, while residents of the southern city reported hearing explosions during the attack. It was the first strike on the compound since Yemen’s civil war flared up again in July.

Yemeni Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani condemned the “cowardly” attack on X, describing it as a “continuation of its criminal pattern of striking civilian sites and civilians”.

A government minister said on condition of anonymity that Zindani had been present at the time of the attack but “was not harmed in any way”.

The minister said the Houthis had fired three missiles at a command centre used by Yemeni government forces and another two at a command centre for Saudi-led coalition forces within the compound. He added that there were Yemeni and Saudi casualties but did not provide a specific toll.

Houthi-affiliated media said the group had targeted “the headquarters of military operations, led by Saudi officers, at the Al-Maashiq Palace in Aden, as well as weapons depots belonging to them”.

Yemen’s civil war, in which Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting the government since 2015, reignited following the collapse of a years-long truce. The Houthis subsequently launched a lightning offensive in September.

Riyadh on Thursday accused Iran of encouraging the escalation, saying Tehran continued to arm and train the group.

Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister for public diplomacy at the foreign ministry said Riyadh remained in contact with Iran, but Tehran did not appear ready to make concessions.

“We think that the escalation by the Houthis at this latest stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran,” said Dr Rayed Krimly.

The Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted drones launched by the Houthis towards the kingdom’s southern region and the city of Khamis Mushait.

Yemeni government forces said the Houthis had also fired “several ballistic missiles” at the central city of Marib, which lies in a strategically important, oil-rich region.

Oman meeting refused

In 2023, regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia reached a deal mediated by China to ease a longstanding freeze in relations, but the latest violence could threaten to undermine the rapprochement.

The Saudi foreign ministry official also accused the Houthis of refusing to meet as fighting intensified between the two sides.

“At the beginning of this escalation, we asked them to meet in Muscat, Oman, and they refused,” he added.

The ministry later said the exchange had taken place in July.

Saudi Arabia suffered its deadliest attack in more than a decade on Saturday when a strike on Riyadh’s international airport killed 13 people and wounded around 300 others.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said the group had attacked Riyadh’s airport 20 times this month.

Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki said “the Houthis must immediately cease all terrorist operations targeting civilians and civilian facilities, including airports, ports, oil facilities, and infrastructure”.

He added that the group had “worked to obtain advanced technologies with the help of regional actors”, saying it now possessed “ballistic missiles, attack and suicide drones, and fast explosive-laden boats”.

The attacks on Saudi Arabia have tested the country’s infrastructure and resilience, the energy minister acknowledged earlier this week.

Riyadh usually hosts a packed calendar of events at this time of year, including its flagship investment conference, which draws foreign leaders and business figures.

In Yemen, the conflict has caused what the United Nations describes as one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, leaving most of the population dependent on aid.