A missile strike on the presidential palace complex in the southern port city of Aden killed five people and wounded 16 on Thursday, marking the first direct attack on the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government in the current conflict. Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani and his cabinet members escaped unharmed, though health officials reported that the casualties included security guards and civilian employees.
Both sides gave sharply contrasting accounts of what was targeted. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed the group had bombed a Saudi military operations headquarters in Aden, reiterating a pledge to strike Saudi reinforcements wherever they are based. However, a Yemeni government minister speaking on condition of anonymity to Agence France-Presse said the assault—which Yemeni officials said involved both missiles and drones—struck a Saudi-led coalition command centre and military headquarters inside the palace grounds, causing both Yemeni and Saudi casualties.
The Aden strike comes amid a sharp escalation between the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition, connected to wider regional tensions and the war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran. Cross-border attacks have intensified in recent weeks, with Houthi missiles and drones repeatedly targeting Saudi infrastructure, including energy facilities operated by Saudi Aramco and the international airport in Riyadh, disrupting commercial flights across the kingdom.
The renewed violence threatens to reignite Yemen’s broader civil war following nearly four years of relative calm, raising alarm among aid agencies over deteriorating humanitarian conditions. In cities like Taiz, which remains besieged by Houthi forces, residents are already facing critical shortages of food and basic necessities as diplomatic efforts to halt the wider regional conflict grow increasingly strained.