Houthis Strike Presidential Palace in Aden as Fighting Escalates in Taiz
Theo Al Jazeera English
Houthi forces fired five missiles at the al-Maashiq presidential compound in Aden, killing two bodyguards of the prime minister, according to Yemen's information minister. The strike came as fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces escalated in Taiz, where aid groups warn the health system is near collapse.
Yemen's Houthi forces fired multiple missiles at the al-Maashiq presidential compound in the port city of Aden, according to information released on social media Thursday by Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani. Al-Eryani said the residence was targeted with five missiles.
According to the Yemeni government, the prime minister and other officials were unharmed, but two of his bodyguards were killed in the attack. Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the area around the compound. Earlier the same day, Al Jazeera correspondents also reported multiple explosions near the presidential palace.
The al-Maashiq compound is regarded as the seat and center of power of the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government. Al Jazeera correspondent Yousef Mawry, reporting from Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, said the strikes on the headquarters of the internationally recognized government marked the "first time" such an attack had occurred at Houthi hands.
"This is a sign that tensions will continue to rise between the two sides," Mawry said, adding that concern is growing inside the country over the risk of an "all-out civil war" that could draw in regional powers beyond Saudi Arabia.
The attack in Aden came as fighting escalated in Taiz between the Houthis — the armed group also known as Ansar Allah (Arabic for "Supporters of God") — and Saudi-backed forces, in a city that is now effectively under Houthi siege.
Control of Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, and the entire Taiz province in the country's southwest would give whichever side holds it command of the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait. Forces allied with the Yemeni government say they are pushing back a Houthi offensive targeting Dhubab airport.
The pro-government Homeland Shield force said in a statement that it, alongside the Southern Giants Brigades, is defending the airport in the coastal city of Dhubab in Taiz province.
Aid organizations warn that escalating violence in Taiz is pushing the health system to the brink of collapse. On Sunday, the public health ministry warned of the risk of a "humanitarian catastrophe" there.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition said King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh has come under at least 20 Houthi attacks over the past 11 days, with dozens of other airports, oil facilities and seaports also targeted. Major General Turki al-Maliki, the coalition's spokesman, released video footage showing airstrikes hitting the main airport, with passengers seen running for safety, at a news conference in the Saudi capital.
The coalition said the Houthi attacks have killed 17 people and injured more than 300. Al-Maliki also accused the Houthis of obtaining ballistic missiles from other countries in the region.
Mohamad Elmasry, a lecturer at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said the Saudi-led coalition's news conference was a response to "certain setbacks, possibly military and security-related."
"There is an image problem there, because this can affect perceptions of Saudi Arabia's deterrence capability, when missiles are still getting through," he told Al Jazeera.
Elmasry also argued that the Houthis face an image crisis, as the international community views the group's actions as "reprehensible, especially the targeting of civilian infrastructure."
