Houthis Launch Missile Attack on Yemen's Presidential Palace Complex

The Houthi rebel group has fired several missiles at Yemen's presidential palace complex in Aden, according to Saudi Arabian media reports. The al-Maashiq Palace, a key government residence, was targeted on Thursday.

Witnesses reported hearing loud explosions in the vicinity of the palace, which is located on Yemen's south coast. The Presidential Leadership Council chairman, recognized as the country's head of state, resides at the palace. Yemeni Prime Minister Shaye al-Zindani and his ministers were reported to be unharmed.

The attack comes as the Saudi-led military coalition stated that the Houthis had attempted to attack numerous Saudi airports, ports, and oil facilities over the past week. This escalation follows intensified fighting between the Iran-aligned Houthi group and Saudi Arabia, a conflict that has spanned years.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki reported that the Houthis had launched 20 attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh during October, resulting in 17 deaths and 333 injuries. Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia also saw Houthi attacks, which claimed three lives and injured 28.

Al-Maliki asserted that the Houthis have acquired advanced weaponry, including ballistic missiles, drones, and explosive-laden boats, with assistance from 'regional actors.' He added that the coalition had destroyed 127 weapons storage facilities and launch platforms in Yemen's mountainous regions.

The spokesperson urged the Houthis to cease operations targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. The Houthi military spokesperson subsequently declared Saudi airspace and airports unsafe, issuing a renewed warning to airlines, though specifically excluding the airspace over Mecca and Medina.

Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. A Saudi-led military intervention began the following year. While a UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely reduced major hostilities, and a de facto truce persisted for months after its expiration, efforts to achieve a lasting political settlement have faltered amidst heightened regional tensions.