YEMEN: At least five people were killed and 16 others injured in a Houthi attack targeting the al-Maashiq Presidential Palace in Aden, southern Yemen, Al Jazeera reported, citing Yemeni Health Minister Qasim Mohammed Buhaibeh. The attack comes amid escalating hostilities between the Houthi movement and Yemeni government forces.
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on X on Thursday, describing it as a strike against what he called the Saudi enemy’s military operations headquarters in Aden. He said the operation was part of the group’s declared policy of targeting Saudi military deployments wherever they are located, adding that any Saudi military presence would be considered a legitimate target.
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi described the attack as an extension of previous strikes against airports and oil facilities in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, Al Jazeera reported. He said he had instructed government forces to take necessary measures to protect state institutions, counter terrorist threats and respond to security risks.
Al-Alimi added that the “Dawn of Yemen” operation, launched earlier this month, was progressing towards its stated objective of restoring state institutions and extending government authority throughout the country, including the capital, Sanaa.
According to Al Arabiya, Yemen’s Youth Minister Nayef Saleh al-Bakri said all cabinet ministers in Aden were safe following the attack. He also insisted that government officials would remain in the city.
Meanwhile, Yemeni government forces claimed to have conducted 1,250 attacks against Houthi positions over the preceding 24 hours as part of the “Dawn of Yemen” campaign. Government spokesperson Majed al-Nuzaili said in a post on X that the operations involved combat aircraft, drones, artillery and rocket launchers, destroying 150 Houthi vehicles. He added that the strikes had damaged Houthi fortifications, particularly along the Taiz fronts.
Separately, the Marib Governorate Media Office said in a statement that Houthi forces had launched nine ballistic missiles and seven other projectiles towards Marib city on Thursday evening.
The office condemned the attacks as violations of international laws and norms prohibiting strikes against civilians and civilian infrastructure. It warned that continued missile attacks on populated areas posed a serious threat to civilian lives and security, urging the international community, the United Nations and humanitarian and human rights organisations to take concrete measures to protect civilians and hold those responsible accountable.
Houthi claims of attacks on Saudi targets
The latest escalation follows Houthi claims that the group had attacked Saudi energy infrastructure and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Wednesday.
In a statement posted on X, Saree said the group had targeted Saudi Aramco facilities in the Eastern Province, the Ras Tanura refinery and the airport using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.
He described the operation as retaliation for what he called Saudi aggression against Yemen. Saree claimed the strikes caused damage and fires at the targeted locations, although the allegations have not been independently verified. He also warned that attacks on Saudi territory would continue, reiterating that airports and oil installations were legitimate targets for the group.
In a separate post on Thursday, Saree alleged that Saudi warplanes had carried out 65 airstrikes and missile attacks against what he described as civilian assets in Sanaa and the provinces of Lahj, Hodeidah, Taiz, Amran, Saada and Marib.
He claimed the attacks involved F-15 and Typhoon aircraft operating from Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases, while missiles were launched from Najran. According to Saree, the cumulative number of Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks since the latest escalation began had reached 2,388. These figures and allegations have not been independently verified.
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of supporting Houthis
Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly accused Iran of fuelling the escalation, Al Jazeera reported.
Krimly alleged that Tehran continued to arm, train and support the Houthi movement in violation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and its commitments under the Beijing agreement, referring to the Saudi-Iranian agreement brokered by China in March 2023.
He also alleged that elements in Russia and China were providing Iran and the Houthis with military capabilities or intelligence, sometimes through commercial channels. Krimly said Saudi Arabia regularly discussed these concerns with Beijing and Moscow and would continue to do so.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said France had begun deploying military assets to Saudi Arabia to help protect its oil facilities, Al Jazeera reported. French President Emmanuel Macron had announced last month that France would send troops and defence systems to protect Yanbu, a key energy transport hub on the Red Sea.
Earlier in the week, the Saudi-led coalition urged civilians to evacuate the Al-Sabahah Central Station of the Yemeni Oil Company in Houthi-controlled Sanaa ahead of a planned military operation.
The coalition also said it had intercepted two ballistic missiles targeting Khamis Mushait and neutralised three unmanned aerial vehicles north of Riyadh. The Houthis, meanwhile, claimed to have shot down a Saudi reconnaissance aircraft. These claims have not been independently verified.
Yemen calls for stronger European response
Separately, Yemeni Foreign Minister Afrah al-Zouba urged European countries to adopt a stronger position on the fighting in Taiz.
According to the Yemeni Foreign Ministry, al-Zouba discussed the clashes and deteriorating humanitarian conditions, including displacement in southern and western areas, with European Union Ambassador to Yemen Patrick Simonnet.
The conflict intensified in 2014 when Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa, and ousted the internationally recognised government. The developments prompted a Saudi-led military intervention in 2015.
The latest escalation has heightened concerns about regional security, energy supplies and maritime trade through the Red Sea and the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
(ANI)
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