Five people were killed and 16 injured in a missile strike on the Al-Maashiq palace complex in the Yemeni city of Aden, Health Minister Qasim Buhaibeh said. The injured included security guards and civilians, and two of the dead were members of Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani's security.
The attack was carried out with five missiles, Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said. Witnesses heard at least six explosions in the area around the complex, which is the seat of Yemen's internationally recognized government. The prime minister and cabinet members were unharmed.
Initial figures differ
The Associated Press initially reported two dead and six wounded, citing a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The health minister later announced a higher death toll, indicating that the figures had been updated after the attack.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack. Their military spokesman, Yahya Sari, said the target was a military operations headquarters run by Saudi officers, as well as weapons depots. "The strike on the military operations headquarters of the Saudi enemy in Aden is part of the declared policy of hitting Saudi military concentrations," Sari was quoted as saying by the Houthi-affiliated Saba news agency. These claims have not been independently verified.
First attack on the complex in the new escalation
The strike was the first on the “Al-Maashiq“ palace in the current confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces. Fighting between the two sides resumed in September after a four-year lull, and Aden has once again become a major target in the conflict.
The attack is part of a wider escalation in which the Houthis have carried out missile and drone strikes on targets in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition has separately reported that multiple attacks were carried out on airports, oil facilities and ports in the kingdom in October.
Sources: aljazeera.com, apnews.com, abc.net.au