On Thursday, the Houthi movement announced it had targeted what it identified as the headquarters for Saudi military operations in Aden, a port city in the country's south, with the announcement coming shortly after missile fire struck both the presidential palace and a separate military installation there, leaving four soldiers dead.
In a post shared on X, Yahya Sarea — serving as military spokesperson for the group — described the Aden attack as having struck what he called the "Saudi military operations headquarters," though no precise location was given for the facility. The statement described the assault as consistent with the organisation's publicly declared position of targeting Saudi military concentrations wherever those forces could be found.
Sarea told reporters the organisation viewed any Saudi military presence as a valid target for attack, while offering no information on the weapons deployed, the number of casualties, or the extent of any damage.
Two rounds of attacks struck Aden before that statement was issued on Thursday. Under a condition of anonymity, a local security contact passed information to a well-known broadcast outlet indicating that five projectiles landed at Al-Ma'ashiq Presidential Palace in the Crater district, while a separate attack targeted the Saudi-led coalition's installation in Al Buraiqa district.
According to a security official, four soldiers posted at the palace lost their lives in the attack while a number of others sustained injuries, with Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani, fellow cabinet members, and Saudi military officers present in the vicinity all reported unharmed and in the process of departing Aden.
A health official based in Aden indicated that the number of casualties was greater than publicly reported, though no figures were provided, as the person stated they lacked authorisation to release that information. Large blasts shook the city during the strikes, with columns of smoke visible near the presidential palace, which serves as the seat of the administration aligned with the Saudi-led coalition.
Preparations for an offensive by government troops operating alongside coalition partners took shape through a series of gatherings convened at the presidential palace, people with knowledge of the situation said.
Missile launches, drone deployments, and intensified aerial bombardment had been exchanged between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia over the preceding days, with Thursday's strikes representing a further step in that pattern of reciprocal hostilities.
Armed conflict has gripped Yemen since late 2014, when Houthi fighters took control of Sanaa and large stretches of the country's north, displacing the internationally recognised government from the capital. Aden, a port city in the south, serves as the seat of government, which operates with backing from the Saudi-led coalition.
