Houthi missiles strike Yemen's presidential palace in Aden, two guards reported killed

Missiles hit the presidential palace in Aden

Houthi rebels fired ballistic missiles at the al-Maashiq Palace in Aden on Thursday, 15 October 2026, in an attack on the seat of Yemen's internationally recognised government. Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said five ballistic missiles struck the palace and told the BBC that the prime minister and other ministers were unhurt, although many others were injured. Smoke rose from the area around the palace, and Al Jazeera correspondents reported explosions nearby earlier that day. The extent of the damage to the palace complex was not yet known in the first reports.

Casualty figures differ

The death toll depends on which official source is cited. Al-Eryani said two security guards were killed, and Europa Press reported that the government confirmed two guards dead and six wounded. Government military sources cited by ANSA gave four dead and ten injured, and a Portuguese-language report also put the toll at at least four dead and ten injured. That report attributed the two deaths to the bodyguards of Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani. The figures come from reports published on Thursday, so they should be read as early counts.

Houthi claims and Saudi targets

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted the "Saudi enemy's military operations headquarters in Aden", and Houthi-run media described weapons depots among the targets. In his statement, Saree presented the attack as part of a declared policy:

The attack on the enemy Saudi military operations headquarters in Aden comes within the framework of the declared policy to strike concentrations of Saudi forces wherever they are.

Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted a missile aimed at Medina. Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh had faced at least 20 Houthi attacks in an 11-day period, with dozens of other airports, oil facilities and ports also targeted. He showed footage of strikes on the main airport, where passengers were seen fleeing for safety. The New York Times reported that Saudi Arabia accused Iran of fueling the escalating war.

Fighting spreads to Taiz and the coast

Fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces intensified in Taiz, which the Houthis effectively besiege. Al Jazeera noted that control of Taiz, Yemen's third city, would give either side control over the Bab al-Mandeb strait. The pro-government Homeland Shield Force said it was repelling a Houthi attack on Dhubab airport and was securing the airport together with the Southern Giants Brigades. Notícias ao Minuto reported that the Houthis launched a large offensive in early September to take control of the country's western coast, and Saudi warplanes have been giving aerial support to government forces trying to recapture strategic territory on the Red Sea.

1. 2026-09Houthis launch a large offensive to take control of Yemen's western coast
2. Oct 15, 2026Houthi ballistic missiles strike the al-Maashiq Palace in Aden

Government and wider tensions

The government said Prime Minister al-Zindani and other ministers were safe. Sources cited by the Portuguese-language report said Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi and other council members were in Riyadh and elsewhere in Yemen. The Presidential Leadership Council has eight members and has operated from Riyadh for years, according to the New York Times. Al Jazeera's correspondent in Sanaa said fears were growing inside the country of an all-out civil war that could draw in regional powers beyond Saudi Arabia. Iranian reports described an oil tanker on fire in the Gulf of Oman, a day after a cargo ship sank in the Strait of Hormuz on 14 October after hitting a mine.