Houthis fire 'several missiles' at presidential palace complex in Yemen

The Houthis have fired several missiles at Yemen's presidential palace complex. 

Missiles were fired at the al-Maashiq Palace in Aden, Saudi Arabian media reported, adding that 'Yemeni Prime Minister Shaye al-Zindani and the cabinet ministers are safe.' 

Witnesses told news agencies they heard loud booms in the vicinity of the palace, which lies on the south coast of Yemen. 

Between four and six explosions were heard by sources who spoke to local media. 

The explosions caused panic among residents who fled the area. A security official said at least two of the explosions were on top of the hill near the al-Maashiq palace, and two others were heard below near the security gate leading up. 

Houthi media said the group targeted an operation room and a weapons warehouse at a military headquarters located in the palace that they claim is being used by Saudi coalition forces. 

Al-Maashiq is the residence of the chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, recognised as the country's head of state. 

Yemeni government forces added that the Houthis have also targeted Marib city, nearly 200 miles north of Aden, with missiles.  

The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said today that the Houthis had attempted to attack dozens of Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities, as fighting between the Iran-aligned group and Saudi Arabia intensified.

The Houthis have been firing ballistic missiles and drones at key Saudi sites for a week, in response to the kingdom's backing of government forces in Yemen's renewed civil war.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said the Houthis had launched 20 attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh this month, killing 17 people and wounding 333 others. 

The airport, one of Saudi Arabia's main international aviation hubs, was among the civilian infrastructure targeted in what the coalition described as a series of attacks.

The coalition also said Houthi attacks on Abha airport, in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni border, had killed three people and wounded 28.

Maliki said the Houthis had acquired advanced military technology with the help of 'regional actors,' including ballistic missiles, drones and explosive-laden fast boats.

The spokesperson also said the coalition had destroyed 127 weapons storage facilities and launch platforms in Yemen's mountainous areas.

He called on the Houthis to immediately halt operations targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, and said the group should read the coalition's statement carefully and 'between the lines.'

Shortly after the coalition's statement, the Houthi military spokesperson said Saudi airspace and airports were unsafe, renewing a warning to airlines while excluding airspace over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. 

The UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted major fighting, and a de facto truce held even after it expired six months later. But efforts to turn it into a lasting political settlement have stalled as regional tensions have intensified.

More to follow.