In brief
A Houthi missile strike on Yemen’s presidential palace in Aden on 15 October killed two security staff, while several others were wounded. The internationally‑recognised government, backed by a Saudi‑led coalition, denounced the attack as a cowardly escalation of the conflict. Yemen’s prime minister vowed to press on with operations against the Houthis, even as the wider war has bombarded Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure and escalated regional tensions. The incident underscores the fragile security environment and the mounting humanitarian toll in Yemen, where over 1,200 people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced in recent months.
Two security staff were killed and several others wounded when five Houthi missiles struck Yemen’s presidential palace in Aden on 15 October.
Information Minister Moammar al‑Eryani confirmed the strike had not harmed ministers or the prime minister, but noted many civilians were injured outside the palace. The Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea described the attack as a strike on the “Saudi enemy’s military operations headquarters” in Aden.
Saudi‑led forces support the internationally recognised government and are conducting air strikes against Houthi positions. Yemen’s Prime Minister Shaya Zindani condemned the attack as “cowardly” and pledged that Yemen would not let this wound weaken its resolve on the Red Sea coast and other fronts.
Earlier this month, a Houthi missile destroyed 13 people at Riyadh’s international airport, the deadliest attack on the kingdom in more than a decade. Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister linked the escalation to Iranian support for the Houthis, a claim denied by Iran’s government, which cites only political backing.
The Yemen conflict, which began in 2014 when the Houthis ousted the internationally recognised government, has spiralled into a regional confrontation involving the Saudi‑led coalition. The war’s intensity has risen since July 2026, when the Houthis closed a maritime embargo and increased missile attacks on Saudi infrastructure. The coalition’s air support has helped Yemeni forces reclaim areas on the Bab al‑Mandab strait, a strategic chokepoint for global shipping.
According to the Yemeni health ministry, 1,282 people have been killed and 5,890 injured in the fighting since 6 August 2026. The United Nations reports that 201,000 people have been displaced and that cholera cases have surged amid the ongoing crisis.
Verified video footage showed smoke above the presidential palace in Aden following the Houthi missile attack.
