Houthis Fire Missiles at Aden Presidential Palace, Killing Security Guards

Houthi forces fired five missiles at the Maashiq presidential palace complex in Aden on 15 October 2026, killing at least two security guards. Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said Prime Minister Shayea al-Zandani and other cabinet members present at the complex were unharmed.

The attack is the first of its kind on the palace, which serves as the seat of Yemen's internationally recognized government. Aden has hosted the government since the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2015. Health Minister Qasim Buhaibeh reported five people killed and 16 wounded, including guards and civilian employees. Other accounts put the death toll at two.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group targeted what it called the Saudi enemy's military operations headquarters in Aden, along with weapons depots. The Houthi-run Saba news agency made the same claim. Reuters could not independently verify the presence of Saudi officers or depots at the site.

Prime Minister al-Zandani condemned the strike as cowardly and a continuation of Houthi criminal behavior. He said the government would continue operations against the Houthis on the southwestern Red Sea coast and other front lines. Earlier on the same day, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a cruise missile intended for the Medina region. The Houthis denied launching any attack on Saudi Arabia that day.

The strike comes amid escalating exchanges. On 13 October a Houthi attack damaged an Aramco headquarters building in Dhahran. The Saudi energy ministry reported a limited fire with no casualties. Coalition forces have conducted strikes on Houthi-held areas, including fuel facilities in Sanaa. The wider conflict has intensified since US and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier in the year, opening new fronts in Yemen and around the Strait of Hormuz.

United Nations agencies have warned that fighting has cut off aid to roughly 800,000 people. Shifting front lines and blocked roads have restricted access to cities such as Taiz. The palace attack raises the risk of further direct strikes on government institutions in the south and of Saudi retaliation that could draw in additional regional actors.

Aden remains the temporary capital for the Presidential Leadership Council under President Rashad al-Alimi. The Maashiq complex houses both civilian government offices and, according to Houthi claims, Saudi military coordination. Witnesses reported hearing loud booms near the palace. Video shared on social media showed smoke rising from the area. The extent of structural damage has not been independently confirmed.

The incident follows a pattern of Houthi long-range strikes that have reached Saudi airports, oil facilities, and now the seat of the recognized government. Saudi officials have accused Iran of encouraging the latest escalation and of supplying missile components. Tehran has not confirmed any direct role. The coalition has listed dozens of Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure in recent weeks.

For the recognized government, the strike tests its ability to maintain a functioning capital while its forces remain engaged on multiple fronts. For the Houthis, it demonstrates reach into the south despite coalition air power. The immediate consequence is further strain on an already fractured country and on Red Sea shipping routes that have faced repeated threats.