Houthis launch deadly attack on presidential palace in Yemen’s Aden

On Thursday, the Houthi group launched a missile attack on the presidential palace in Aden, Yemen's interim capital, killing at least four people and injuring ten others. Saudi Arabia accused Iran of encouraging the escalating violence in the ongoing Yemeni civil war, which has roots in the 2015 military coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

The Houthi group, backed by Iran, has seized control of significant portions of Yemen's Red Sea coast recently. Government sources reported that the prime minister and cabinet ministers were unharmed, but it is unclear whether they were in the palace at the time of the attack. The Houthi group claimed they targeted military operations led by Saudi officers and weapons depots at the Al-Maashiq Palace in Aden.

Yemen's civil war reignited in September after a years-long truce collapsed, with the Houthis launching a rapid offensive since then. Saudi Arabia's deputy minister for public diplomacy stated that Riyadh continues to communicate with Iran, but Iran seems unready to make concessions. The Saudi-led coalition reported that the Houthis had also fired ballistic missiles at the central city of Marib, an oil-rich region.

In 2023, Iran and Saudi Arabia signed a deal mediated by China to improve ties, but the recent violence might jeopardize this agreement. Saudi Arabia suffered its deadliest attack in over a decade when a strike on its international airport killed 13 people and injured around 300 others on Saturday. The coalition noted that the Houthis have carried out 20 attacks on Riyadh's airport this month.

The Saudi government urges the group to cease all terrorist operations targeting civilians and infrastructure, including airports, ports, and oil facilities.