The Iran-backed Houthi militia fired missiles Thursday at the al-Maashiq Presidential Palace in Aden, Yemen, where the Saudi-backed official government operates. Two security guards were killed and six others wounded in the attack, Yemen’s Youth Minister Naif Saleh al-Bakri told Al Arabiya. Yemen’s prime minister and cabinet ministers who were inside the compound were not harmed, and all government members are expected to remain in Aden despite the strike.
Iran-backed Houthis targeted Maashiq Palace, the Yemeni government’s headquarters in Aden, with five ballistic missiles.
No casualties have been reported so far.
#Yemen https://t.co/Wo2nIKuEhh— Ali Al-Sakani | علي السكني (@Alsakaniali) October 15, 2026
Eyewitnesses told Reuters they heard powerful explosions near the palace. The Associated Press reported at least six explosions in the airspace over Yemen’s temporary capital. Local security officials said air defense systems operating at the compound tried to intercept the threat, but shrapnel from the interceptions or direct hits caused heavy damage to security buildings on the palace’s outskirts.
The attack comes amid escalating confrontation between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia. Just hours earlier, the Saudi-led military coalition announced that the Houthis had attempted to strike dozens of targets across the kingdom, including airports, ports, and oil facilities—and the presidential palace strike marks another escalation.
The assault represents an attempt by the Houthi rebels to completely undermine Yemen’s fragile governmental stability and directly strike at symbols of the recognized government’s sovereignty. Diplomatic sources in the region assess that the militia’s growing audacity stems from backing and advanced weaponry supplied by Tehran. Such a strike on the government headquarters, alongside threats to Saudi Arabia’s economic arteries, signals that the entire region is heading toward a broad escalation that could trigger a sharp military response from the Arab coalition.