Smoke rises in the distance near Aden, Yemen, following reported attacks in the city amid escalating hostilities between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed government forces. Photo: Reuters

NNA News - Five people were killed and 16 others injured in a Houthi attack on the presidential palace compound in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, the internationally recognised government's health minister said on Thursday, as the group claimed it had targeted a Saudi military operations headquarters.

Health Minister Qassem Buhaibeh said the casualties included security guards and civilian employees working at the Al-Ma'ashiq Presidential Palace compound, which serves as the temporary seat of the Yemeni government. Prime Minister and cabinet members were reported safe following the attack.

Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said five missiles had struck the compound. Explosions were heard in Aden, and smoke rose from the area around the palace. The government also reported that the attack involved missiles and drones.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had targeted what he described as the “Saudi military operations headquarters” in Aden. The Houthi-run news agency SABA subsequently claimed that the facility was operated by Saudi officers and contained weapons depots. Those claims have not been independently verified.

The attack marks a further escalation in fighting between the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, and forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. The palace compound is a key government site in Aden, the southern city that has served as the government's temporary seat since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

The strikes came amid intensified fighting across Yemen and a wider exchange of attacks involving Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition said Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh had reached 20 this month, with 17 people killed and 333 injured, according to coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki. These figures are the coalition's claims and have not been independently verified by NNA News.

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation separately reported that attacks on the Riyadh airport and a Saudia aircraft on 8 October killed three Saudi citizens and injured other citizens and residents. The authority said airport operations had since resumed.

The United Nations has warned that Yemen is sliding back into a wider conflict. On 9 October, UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told the Security Council: “In the past few weeks, Yemen has slid back into full-scale war.” He said hostilities had spread across multiple frontlines, with fighting intensifying around Taiz and other areas.

The Security Council has also expressed concern over attacks affecting Saudi civilians and infrastructure. During its discussions on Yemen, the African members of the Council called for restraint and condemned attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. They also warned that attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait threatened international navigation and global commerce.

Yemen's conflict began in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and forced the internationally recognised government from the capital. A Saudi-led military intervention followed in 2015. A truce reached in 2022 reduced fighting for a period, but renewed hostilities have since raised concerns about civilian safety, humanitarian access and regional security.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia or the Saudi-led coalition specifically addressing the Houthis' claim about the target inside the Aden palace compound.