Houthi forces fired missiles at the al-Maashiq presidential palace in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden, the seat of the internationally recognised government. Yemen’s health minister said five people were killed and 16 wounded in the strikes, which came on Thursday. Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said the palace was targeted with five missiles. The government insisted the prime minister and other senior officials were unharmed, though two of the prime minister’s bodyguards died.
A correspondent reporting from Sanaa noted that this was the first time the group had directly attacked the headquarters of the recognised government. Observers say the move signals deeper escalation between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, with fears growing of an all-out civil war that could pull in other regional powers. The attack follows a run of Houthi strikes inside Saudi Arabia, with the coalition saying Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has been targeted at least 20 times in 11 days. The coalition says attacks on the kingdom have killed 17 people and injured more than 300, hitting airports, oil facilities and ports.
In response, air strikes have hit Houthi positions in Taiz governorate, and the coalition says it destroyed a drone aimed at Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. The Houthis, for their part, claim to have downed a Saudi Wing Loong II reconnaissance drone over Marib. Saudi organisers insist the January 2027 Asian Cup remains on schedule, although the Asian football body says a final call could wait until the end of November. All of this is unfolding against the wider US-Iran war, which has kept oil prices elevated, with Brent crude hovering around $105 a barrel.