Houthi attack on palace used by Yemen government in Aden kills five

At least six explosions struck Thursday near the presidential palace used by Yemen's internationally recognised government forces and the Saudi-led coalition that supports them in the port city of Aden, witnesses said. Five people were killed and 16 wounded, reported Yemen's health minister, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels based in northern Yemen quickly claiming responsibility.

It was a rare attack on the palace area, as fighting continues to escalate between the rebels and the Yemen-Saudi coalition in the latest front of the Iran war. The explosions caused panic among residents who fled the area.

An initial estimate put two dead and six wounded according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity, before the health minister shared updated figures. The government said the Houthis attacked with missiles and drones, Aden-based SABA news agency reported. 

A security official said at least two explosions took place on top of the hill near the Maashiq palace, and two others were near the security gate.

Many of Yemen's government leaders remain living in exile, with those in Aden staying safe from the attack, another government official said. 

The Houthis said they attacked a military operations headquarters where the “Saudi enemy" was located – part of a strategy that has included attacking airports and oil infrastructure within the Saudi kingdom itself. 

The escalation has complicated efforts to end the wider Iran war and further rattled global markets as Saudi Arabia – one of the world's top oil exporters, faces repeated attacks. Regional aviation is affected too as the rebels have warned airlines about their plans to use of Saudi airspace for attacks. Thousands of flights across the kingdom have been disrupted.

Earlier Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it intercepted a cruise missile over the Saudi province of Medina. Flightradar 24, a tracking platform, said dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed at Jeddah airport.

Read moreHouthis deny targeting holy city of Medina after Saudi Arabia says it intercepted missile

The coalition statement did not assign blame for the Medina attack. The Houthis’ military spokesperson, Brigade General Yahya Saree, denied the rebels' involvement. The group previously pledged not to attack airports in the Saudi Arabian holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

Saudi Arabia also said it destroyed a drone over the country's eastern province – a major oil-producing region – and that it intercepted a drone in Khamis Mushait, a Saudi city near a major military air base.

Inside Yemen, the fighting has revived a devastating civil war after four years of relative calm. One focus of alarm is the Houthi-besieged city of Taiz.

Residents of Yemen’s third-largest city are running short of basic necessities. Where goods can be found, prices have soared. Meanwhile, gas stations sit empty or out of service. The World Food Programme said it can no longer reach more than 600,000 people in Taiz who depend on aid.

Read more‘Growing ambitions’: Houthis’ quest to be recognised as Yemen’s ‘legitimate' leaders

Fathiyya Mohamed al-Mugahed said she had gone looking for flour, cooking gas and fuel but found none.

“The Houthis have surrounded us from all sides,” she said. “Projectiles are all we have received from them.”

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Taiz has seen some of the “highest casualty burdens” in the country.

(FRANCE 24 with AP)