Sana’a, Oct 15. (dpa/GNA) – The headquarters of Yemen’s internationally recognized government in the southern port city of Aden came under missile attack on Thursday, witnesses and government officials told dpa.
The area around the al-Maashiq Palace had come under fire, they said. The government described the attack as a “dangerous escalation against state institutions and civilian facilities.”
It said security personnel and other staff at the palace had been killed or injured. An earlier statement said two members of the prime minister’s security detail were killed.
Al-Masirah (The Journey), a television channel controlled by the Houthi militia, reported that a “military headquarters run by Saudi officers” had been attacked.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that Saudi troops were a legitimate target for the rebels anywhere.
The Saudi news channel Al-Hadath (The Event) reported that five explosions had occurred at the palace after several missiles hit.
Videos showing smoke over the grounds where the internationally recognized government is based circulated on social media.
Aden also hosts a command centre of the Saudi-led coalition, which is fighting alongside the government against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The internationally recognized government has been based in Aden in the south since Houthi rebels overran the capital Sana’a and other parts of northern Yemen in 2014.
The government is led by Rashad al-Alimi, who mostly stays in Riyadh for security reasons. Saudi media reported that senior Yemeni government officials had not been injured in the attack.
Earlier, Yemen’s Information Ministry said Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani and other members of the government were also safe following a missile attack.
The government called on the international community and the United Nations to take a clear and firm stance against the attacks rather than treating them as isolated incidents.
With the attack, southern Yemen is also moving more into the focus of the Houthis, who control large parts of the north. In a lightning offensive in September, they seized further areas along the west coast.
In recent years, Aden and the south – especially after a ceasefire from 2022 – did not appear to be a focus of the fighting. The government said Aden would remain a centre for state institutions in Yemen.
It said that attempts to disrupt public life or weaken the state would remain unsuccessful. Aden is one of Yemen’s largest cities and has an important port east of the Bab al-Mandab (Gate of Tears) Strait.
For centuries, the city served as a trading hub. The palace sits on a hill overlooking the Gulf of Aden.
GNA