Houthis launch missile attacks on Aden, targeting presidential palace and airport
The Iran‑backed Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, struck the Al‑Maashiq presidential palace in Aden with five missiles on Thursday, killing five people and injuring 16. Health officials said the victims included palace guards and civilian staff, while the prime minister and other senior officials escaped harm; two of the prime minister’s bodyguards were among the dead. Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the strike hit what he described as the “Saudi military operations headquarters” in the city.
The following day two additional missiles hit the grounds of Aden International Airport as a Yemenia flight to Cairo was preparing for departure. The missiles landed about 500 metres from the aircraft, causing no casualties, but officials called the attack a direct threat to passengers and crew. The Houthi‑run Saba news agency claimed the missiles were aimed at a military headquarters and weapons depots at the nearby Badr Camp.
Aden serves as the interim capital of Yemen after the internationally recognised government moved there following the Houthi takeover of Sana’a in 2014. The Al‑Maashiq Palace houses the government’s top leadership. Although a 2022 ceasefire had largely frozen the conflict, fighting has resurfaced, with the Houthis expanding along the Red Sea coast and seizing positions near the strategic Bab al‑Mandeb strait. A Saudi‑backed counteroffensive dubbed “Operation Dawn of Yemen” began two weeks ago but has yet to reverse Houthi gains.
The attacks echo previous strikes on Aden, including a December 2020 missile assault on the airport that killed at least 22 people and a subsequent hit on the palace. The coalition led by Saudi Arabia blamed the Houthis for those incidents, a claim the rebels denied.
Saudi deputy minister for public diplomacy Rayed Krimly accused Iran of encouraging the escalation, noting that the Houthis had rejected a proposal for talks in Oman. Tehran rejected the allegation, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stating Iran had no role in Houthi operations and was ready to help mediate.
Canada’s embassy in Saudi Arabia condemned the palace attack and called for an immediate de‑escalation, expressing solidarity with Yemen’s recognised government and its people. The United Nations Security Council also denounced the rising Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including those affecting civil aviation and energy facilities, while the International Civil Aviation Organization’s governing council condemned recent assaults on civilian airports. UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told the Security Council that the country had slipped back into “full‑scale war.”
The broader conflict has intensified since July, ending the 2022 truce. Earlier this month the Houthis seized control of the Bab al‑Mandeb strait, a key global shipping lane, prompting Saudi Arabia to rely more on its East‑West pipeline for oil exports after the Strait of Hormuz was closed by Iran. The Presidential Leadership Council announced the “Operation Dawn of Yemen” on October 4 to reclaim Houthi‑held territories, including Sana’a, and the Saudi‑led coalition confirmed that 100 fighter jets participated in renewed air strikes. The Houthis have continued to launch missiles and drones at Saudi airports, oil installations and other infrastructure, with the coalition reporting the interception of a ballistic missile aimed at the Red Sea oil hub of Yanbu on Friday.