Yemen's Houthi group (Ansar Allah) struck the area around the al-Maashiq presidential palace in the southern port city of Aden on Thursday, according to Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani. The attack, which involved five missiles, killed two bodyguards of the prime minister, though the prime minister and other officials were reported safe. Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the palace vicinity, which serves as the headquarters of the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government.
Al Jazeera's Yousef Mawry, reporting from Houthi-controlled Sanaa, described the attack as the "first of their kind" on the seat of the recognized government, indicating that "the escalation is going to intensify between both sides." He added that fears are growing inside Yemen of "an all-out civil war" that could draw in other regional powers beyond Saudi Arabia.
The strike came as clashes between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed troops intensified in Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, which is effectively under siege by the Houthis. Control of Taiz and its governorate in the southwest would secure command of the strategic Bab al-Mandeb strait. Pro-government forces, including the Homeland Shield Force and the Southern Giants Brigades, said they were repelling a Houthi attack on Dhubab airport in the coastal city.
Aid agencies warn that escalating violence in Taiz is pushing the healthcare system toward breaking point. On Sunday, the Ministry of Public Health warned of a "humanitarian catastrophe" there.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition said Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport had come under at least 20 Houthi attacks over the past 11 days, with dozens of other airports, oil facilities, and ports also targeted. Coalition spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki released footage of strikes on the main airport, showing passengers fleeing. The coalition claims the attacks have killed 17 people and injured more than 300, and al-Maliki accused the Houthis of obtaining ballistic missiles from other countries in the region.
Commenting on the coalition's news conference, Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said it was a response "to some of the, perhaps, military and security failures," noting that "missiles are getting through," which affects the perception of Saudi deterrence. He added that the Houthis also face an image crisis, as global opinion views their targeting of civilian infrastructure as "reprehensible."