Houthi Missiles Strike Aden Presidential Palace and Airport, Killing 5 and Wounding 16
Nils Adler
Iran-backed Houthi forces fired five missiles at Aden's Al-Maashiq Presidential Palace, killing five people and wounding 16, including guards and civilian staff. A day later, two missiles landed near a Yemenia passenger jet preparing to leave Aden International Airport for Cairo, the second attack on the airport in under a week. The government says the prime minister is safe, though two of his bodyguards were killed.
Houthi forces fired five missiles at the Al-Maashiq Presidential Palace in Aden, southern Yemen, killing five people and wounding 16, according to Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani. Health Minister Qasem Buhaibeh said the victims included guards and civilian staff.
Yemen's government said Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani and other officials were safe, but two of his bodyguards were killed. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted what he called a "Saudi military command headquarters" in Aden.
On Friday, two missiles landed in the grounds of Aden International Airport as a passenger plane prepared to depart for Cairo. According to the Aden Security Directorate, it was the second attack on the airport in less than a week. Yemenia flight 612 was about to take off when the missiles struck roughly 500 meters from the aircraft. No casualties were reported. Al-Eryani called the attack a "direct threat to the lives of passengers and crew."
Saba, the Houthi-controlled news agency, said the group targeted a military headquarters and weapons depots inside Camp Badr, a military compound next to the airport.
Aden is Yemen's interim capital. The internationally recognized government moved there after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014 and later set up their own administration. The Al-Maashiq Palace is the seat and center of power of the internationally recognized government.
The Houthis now control much of northern and western Yemen. Fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition backing the government largely halted after a 2022 ceasefire. In September, however, the Houthis launched a lightning offensive along the Red Sea coast, seizing territory overlooking the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait at the gateway to the Red Sea. Nearly two weeks ago, government forces launched a counteroffensive called "Operation Yemen Dawn" with Saudi air support, but have so far failed to retake the lost territory.
Saree said the Houthi attacks on Aden were part of the group's declared policy of targeting "Saudi reinforcements wherever they are."
Aden has been attacked before. In December 2020, an attack on Aden airport as the new cabinet arrived from Saudi Arabia killed at least 22 people. A second attack targeted the residence where the ministers were taken for shelter. The coalition blamed the Houthis, who denied responsibility.
On international reaction, Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly accused Iran on Thursday of "encouraging" the escalation. He said the Houthis had rejected an offer of talks in Oman when the latest round of fighting began. On Friday, Tehran denied the accusation. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said: "The Islamic Republic of Iran rejects all accusations that Iran played a role in the Houthis' activities in Yemen." Baghaei said Iran "has always been ready to use its good relations to help end the conflict" and again offered to mediate.
Canada's embassy in Saudi Arabia condemned the attack on the presidential palace and called for "immediate de-escalation." In a post on X, the mission wrote: "We stand with the internationally recognized government of Yemen and the Yemeni people."
On Thursday, the UN Security Council condemned the Houthis' escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia, including those affecting civil aviation and energy infrastructure. The governing council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) also condemned recent attacks on airports and civilian aircraft in Saudi Arabia.
On October 9, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told the Security Council that the country had returned to "all-out war."
The wider conflict continues to escalate. Fighting resumed in July, ending the 2022 ceasefire. Last month, the Houthis took control of the Bab al-Mandeb strait, one of the world's most important shipping lanes. Since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in March amid US airstrikes, Saudi Arabia has relied increasingly on oil exports through the Red Sea via the East-West pipeline. The Houthis have declared a blockade of Saudi ships there since the start of this year.
On October 4, Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi announced Operation Yemen Dawn to retake territory held by the Houthis, including Sanaa. The Saudi-led coalition said 100 fighter jets took part, marking the first time since 2022 that the coalition has acknowledged resuming airstrikes against the Houthis. In response, the Houthis have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at Saudi airports, oil facilities and other infrastructure.
On Friday, the coalition said it intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Yanbu, a Red Sea oil hub Saudi Arabia is using to export crude. On the ground, fighting has intensified in Taiz province, where the Houthis are besieging Taiz city and which borders the Red Sea. State-run Saba, citing the Taiz Axis Command, said 168 Houthi fighters were killed and 210 wounded there. In Houthi-controlled areas, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said 124 civilians were killed and 327 wounded in what it called the "Saudi invasion" since September 3. Early Saturday, Houthi-linked media reported strikes east of Saada, while the coalition said it destroyed two ballistic missile launch pads there.
