Yemen Houthis Attack Presidential Palace in Aden as Saudi Infrastructure Faces Strikes | CBC

Strike hits Aden palace

The Houthis launched missiles at the presidential palace complex in Aden, Yemen, on Thursday. Yemen’s cabinet said drones were also involved, and officials told Reuters that two guards died.

Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said the prime minister and cabinet members were safe. Witnesses told Reuters they heard loud explosions near the complex. Al-Maashiq Palace serves as the seat of Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government. Houthi-run news agency SABA claimed Saudi officers operated the headquarters and that it contained weapons depots; Reuters said it could not independently confirm those claims.

Conflict and worsening conditions

Fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces resumed in Yemen last month. Aid agencies have warned that conditions are deteriorating rapidly. Residents of Taiz, northwest of Aden, have described heavier bombardment and dwindling supplies as Houthi forces tighten their grip on areas around the city. Taiz is Yemen’s third-largest city.

Saudi sites face attacks

As Saudi Arabia supports government forces, the Houthis have targeted Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities with ballistic missiles and drones. The attacks threaten Saudi infrastructure and have made the country a pressure point in the wider war.

The Saudi-led coalition said attacks on Abha airport, near the Yemeni border, killed three people and wounded 28. Global Affairs Canada issued a travel advisory for Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

The Houthi military spokesperson warned that Saudi airspace and airports were unsafe, while exempting airspace over Mecca and Medina. Saudi civil defence issued an early warning about a possible threat in Najran province, then said the danger had passed.