Iran-aligned Houthis target Yemeni presidential palace in escalating campaign against Saudi Arabia

Fawaz Salman/Reuters/File

Several Houthi missiles struck the presidential Al-Maashiq Palace in Aden, killing two members of Prime Minister Shaya Al-Zindani’s security detail, Yemen’s internationally recognized government said Thursday.

The Iran-backed rebels claimed they were targeting an alleged Saudi military operations center inside the compound.

In a statement posted by the government’s Ministry of Information, officials said the prime minister was safe following the strike.

“Prime Minister Dr. Shaya Al-Zandani and members of the government are safe following a missile attack by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia on Al-Maashiq Palace in the interim capital, Aden,” the statement said.

Aden serves as the de facto capital and seat of the internationally recognized government of Yemen, which is backed by the Saudi-led military coalition.

The Houthis claimed the strike was part of a declared strategy of targeting Saudi military deployments wherever they are located.

“The shelling of the Saudi enemy’s war operations headquarters in Aden comes within the framework of the declared equation of targeting Saudi military build-ups wherever they may be, and considering any military presence of the Saudi enemy a legitimate target for our forces,” the statement said.

The Yemeni government did not immediately provide additional details about the type of missiles used or the extent of the damage at the palace complex.

The attack came less than an hour after Houthi forces renewed warnings that Saudi airspace and airports were unsafe and that they retained the capability to “respond in kind” to ongoing Saudi attacks on Yemen.

The Saudi-led coalition said Thursday that recent Houthi attacks , including strikes targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, demonstrate the growing threat posed by the Iran-backed group to Saudi Arabia, regional security and international shipping routes.

The coalition also said military operations would continue with the stated aim of degrading Houthi military capabilities and removing sources of support for the group’s war effort in accordance with international humanitarian law.

The strike on the palace came amid continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Earlier Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a drone over Khamis Mushait in the southwest of the kingdom, a cruise missile over the western Medina region and another drone in the Eastern Province.

Saudi Press Agency/APAImages/Shutterstock

Why billions spent on defense haven’t shielded Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks

The ongoing attacks have raised concerns about energy supplies, commercial shipping and fuel prices, with the Houthis increasingly targeting Saudi airports, oil infrastructure and maritime traffic.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump accused the Houthis of trying to drive up oil prices and suggested Iran was encouraging the group’s latest attacks.

“The Houthis are behaving very badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They’ve been silent for a long time, but now they’ve emerged again, probably at the behest of Iran…hitting Saudi Arabia, and purposefully trying to drive up Oil Prices, probably prior to the U.S. elections .”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

法瓦兹·萨尔曼/路透社/档案照片

也门国际公认的政府周四表示，胡塞武装发射的多枚导弹袭击了位于亚丁的总统府马希克宫，造成总理沙亚·津达尼的两名安保人员丧生。

伊朗支持的叛军声称，他们的目标是该建筑群内一个据称是沙特军事行动中心的地方。

政府新闻部发表声明称，总理在袭击事件后安全无恙。

声明称：“在伊朗支持的胡塞武装向临时首都亚丁的马希克宫发射导弹后，总理沙亚·赞达尼博士和政府成员均安全无恙。”

亚丁是也门事实上的首都，也是国际社会承认的也门政府所在地，该政府得到了沙特阿拉伯领导的军事联盟的支持。

胡塞武装声称，此次袭击是其公开战略的一部分，旨在打击沙特阿拉伯在任何地点的军事部署。

声明称：“炮击沙特敌军在亚丁的作战指挥部，符合我们既定的打击沙特军事集结地的战略，无论沙特敌军在何处集结，我们都将其视为合法的打击目标。”

也门政府没有立即提供有关所用导弹类型或宫殿建筑群受损程度的更多细节。

袭击发生不到一小时前，胡塞武装再次警告称，沙特阿拉伯的领空和机场不安全，他们保留着对沙特阿拉伯持续袭击也门的行为进行“以牙还牙”的能力。

沙特领导的联军周四表示，胡塞武装最近发动的袭击，包括针对利雅得哈立德国王国际机场的袭击，表明这个受伊朗支持的组织对沙特阿拉伯、地区安全和国际航运路线构成的威胁日益加剧。

联军还表示，军事行动将继续进行，其既定目标是削弱胡塞武装的军事能力，并根据国际人道主义法消除该组织战争行动的支持来源。

在胡塞武装持续袭击沙特阿拉伯之际，王宫遭到了袭击。周四早些时候，沙特领导的联军表示，他们在沙特西南部哈米斯穆沙伊特上空拦截并摧毁了一架无人机，在西部麦地那地区上空拦截并摧毁了一枚巡航导弹，并在东部省份拦截并摧毁了另一架无人机。

沙特通讯社/APA图片/Shutterstock

为何数十亿美元的国防开支未能保护沙特阿拉伯免受胡塞武装的袭击

持续不断的袭击引发了人们对能源供应、商业航运和燃料价格的担忧，胡塞武装越来越多地将目标对准沙特阿拉伯的机场、石油基础设施和海上交通。

本周早些时候，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普指责胡塞武装试图推高油价，并暗示伊朗正在鼓励该组织发动最近的袭击。

特朗普在Truth Social网站上写道：“胡塞武装的行为非常恶劣。他们沉寂了很久，但现在又重新出现，很可能是受伊朗指使……袭击沙特阿拉伯，并蓄意推高油价，很可能是为了在美国大选前夕。”

这是一则正在更新的新闻。