Daijiworld Media Network - Aden
Aden, Oct 16: At least five people have been killed and 16 injured in a Houthi missile attack targeting the presidential palace in Aden, southern Yemen, officials said.
Yemen’s Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani told the BBC that Prime Minister Shaya Zindani and other ministers were unharmed when five ballistic missiles struck al-Maashiq Palace, which serves as the seat of the internationally recognised government.
The Houthis’ military spokesperson, Yahya Sarea, said the group had targeted what he described as the Saudi enemy’s military operations headquarters in Aden.
Yemen’s Health Minister Qasim Buhaibeh said the casualties included security personnel guarding the site and civilian employees.
Prime Minister Zindani condemned the attack as “cowardly”, describing it as a continuation of the Houthis’ criminal behaviour. He said the government would continue performing its duties and that the attack would not weaken the resolve of government forces fighting the Houthis along Yemen’s southwestern Red Sea coast and other front lines.
The internationally recognised Yemeni government is backed by a Saudi-led coalition, which has been providing air support to pro-government forces in their offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis.
The latest attack comes amid escalating hostilities between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. Earlier, the Houthis denied launching an attack on Saudi territory on Thursday after the coalition announced that it had intercepted a cruise missile in the Medina region.
The Houthis have been launching missiles and drones at Saudi airports, oil and gas facilities, and military bases in retaliation for strikes on areas under their control in western Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.
On Saturday, a Houthi missile strike killed 13 people at Riyadh’s international airport, marking Saudi Arabia’s deadliest attack in more than a decade.
Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Rayed Krimly accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis to intensify their attacks against the kingdom. He alleged that Iran continued to arm, train and support the Houthi militia in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Krimly told reporters, according to AFP, that Riyadh believed Iran was encouraging the latest escalation. Tehran had not immediately responded to the allegations but has previously denied supplying weapons to the Houthis, saying its support was limited to political backing.
Iran’s Foreign Minister has also expressed readiness to provide assistance to facilitate the start of talks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.
Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that began in 2014, when the Houthis ousted the internationally recognised government from Sanaa. The conflict intensified in 2015 after a Saudi-led coalition intervened to restore the government.
An informal ceasefire that had lasted four years began to unravel in July, when the Houthis announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea.
The Houthis said their actions were retaliation for what they described as a Saudi blockade of their territory and an airstrike on Sanaa airport, which they blamed on the kingdom.
The conflict escalated further in September after the Houthis seized part of Yemen’s southwestern Red Sea coast near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a crucial passage for global shipping. Their advance contributed to rising oil prices amid six months of war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
Last week, pro-government forces said they had recaptured territory overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait after launching a major counter-offensive backed by Saudi airstrikes.
According to Yemen’s Health Ministry, at least 1,282 people have been killed and 5,890 injured in the fighting since August 6. The United Nations has reported that another 201,000 people have been displaced and warned of an alarming increase in suspected cholera cases.