Houthi Missiles Hit Yemen’s Presidential Palace in Aden
Five ballistic missiles struck the al-Maashiq palace in Aden, the seat of the internationally recognised government. The prime minister and other ministers were unhurt. The information minister Moammar al-Eryani put the dead at two security personnel, while government military sources gave four; many others were injured. Houthi-run media said it had hit a military operations headquarters led by Saudi officers.
Yemen’s civil war has returned to full-scale fighting, and the kingdom is now openly blaming Tehran for it. A Saudi foreign ministry official said today that Iran “continues to arm, train and support the Houthi militia” and that “the escalation by the Houthis at this latest stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran”. Saudi Arabia says it intercepted a ballistic missile over the Medina area, close to one of Islam’s holiest cities; the Houthis denied responsibility for that one. Saturday’s strike on Riyadh’s international airport killed thirteen, the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade, and King Khalid International remains shut until Saturday. At sea the attrition continues: the container ship GFS Pride and the merchant vessel Cape Dao have both now sunk near the Strait of Hormuz, only the second and third vessels lost since February, with one Indian crew member killed. The United Nations shipping body counts twenty-four seafarers killed in 106 confirmed incidents.