A Houthi missile attack on Yemen’s presidential palace in Aden killed five people and injured 16 others on Thursday, according to Yemen’s health minister.
Yemen’s government vows to continue fighting
Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing a Yemeni minister who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported that the missiles struck command centres inside the presidential compound. The minister also reported Yemeni and Saudi casualties but did not provide a separate breakdown. The strike targeted military command centres inside the Al-Maashiq palace compound, which is used by Yemeni government forces and the Saudi-led military coalition supporting them. It also reaffirmed that Aden would remain the country’s de facto capital.
Yemeni Health Minister Qasim Buhaibeh said the casualties included people guarding the site and civilian employees. A government minister told AFP that al-Zindani was at the palace when the attack occurred but was not injured. The Houthis fired three missiles at a command centre used by Yemeni government forces and two at a separate command centre used by Saudi-led coalition forces, according to the minister. Yemen’s cabinet said the attack would not weaken its armed forces’ efforts to defeat the Houthis, whom the government accuses of staging a coup. Al-Maliki said Saudi Arabia would continue providing air support to Yemeni government forces carrying out ground operations against the Houthis.
