At least 5 killed in Houthi attack on Yemen’s presidential palace in Aden

Key points

• Houthi missile strikes near Aden's al-Maashiq presidential palace killed at least five people and injured 16.
• Yemen's government said the prime minister and officials were safe, but two bodyguards died.
• Fighting intensified in Taiz, where aid agencies warn the healthcare system is near breaking point.

At least five people were killed and 16 injured when Houthi missiles struck the area around the al-Maashiq presidential palace in Yemen's port city of Aden on Thursday, the country's health minister said. The palace serves as the headquarters and seat of power for the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government.

Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said in a social media post that the Houthis fired five missiles at the palace. The government said the prime minister and other officials were safe, but two of his bodyguards were killed. Smoke was seen rising near the palace, and Al Jazeera correspondents reported explosions in the area earlier on Thursday.

Escalation and regional fears

Al Jazeera's Yousef Mawry, reporting from Houthi-controlled Sanaa, described the strikes on the government headquarters as the "first of their kind" by the Houthis. He said the escalation between the two sides is likely to intensify and that fears are growing of "an all-out civil war" that could draw in regional powers beyond Saudi Arabia.

This is an indication that the escalation is going to intensify between both sides

— Al Jazeera's Yousef Mawry

Fighting in Taiz and Saudi attacks

The Aden attack came as fighting intensified in Taiz, which is effectively under Houthi siege. Government-allied forces said they were repelling a Houthi attack on Dhubab airport, with the Homeland Shield Force and Southern Giants Brigades securing the site. Aid agencies say the violence is pushing Taiz's healthcare system towards breaking point, and the Ministry of Public Health warned on Sunday of a "humanitarian catastrophe".

The Saudi-led coalition said Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport has faced at least 20 Houthi attacks in 11 days, along with dozens of other airports, oil facilities and ports. Spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki said the attacks killed 17 people and injured more than 300, and accused the Houthis of obtaining ballistic missiles from other countries in the region.