By SCM International Desk I Friday, Oct.16, 2026
ADEN, Yemen — A coordinated barrage of ballistic missiles and explosive drones struck the Al-Maashiq presidential palace in Aden on Thursday, targeting the heart of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. While the prime minister and his cabinet survived the attack, five guards and civilian workers were killed, marking the first direct strike on the seat of government during the current war.
Sixteen other people were wounded in the assault, according to local authorities. The ministers were in the middle of a cabinet session inside the hilltop compound when the warheads detonated.
The Iran-aligned Houthi movement quickly claimed responsibility for the strike. In an official statement, Houthi representatives claimed the operation targeted a “Saudi military operations headquarters” staffed by Saudi officers and containing concealed weapons depots—a claim that could not be independently verified.
Within an hour of the attack, Houthi officials renewed an explicit warning regarding regional infrastructure, declaring all Saudi Arabian airports unsafe for civilian air traffic, with the exception of the airspace over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
The strike in Aden is part of a broader, intensifying campaign by the Houthi movement aimed at crippling the Saudi economy, disrupting key aviation infrastructure, and dismantling the government in Aden.
According to military coalition statistics, Houthi forces have launched at least 20 targeted attacks against Riyadh’s international airport this month alone, resulting in 17 deaths and 333 injuries. An additional attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport left three dead. Coalition officials warn that Houthi forces have significantly expanded their arsenal, deploying sophisticated ballistic missiles, long-range attack drones, and remote-controlled explosive boats provided by regional backers.
By explicitly excluding Mecca and Medina from their targeting threats, analysts note that the Houthis are seeking to inflict maximum economic and political damage on Saudi Arabia while avoiding actions that could unite the broader Muslim world against them.
The assault on Al-Maashiq Palace highlights the severe vulnerability of Yemen’s coalition-backed leadership.
The Yemeni government returned to the southern port city of Aden after being driven out of the capital, Sanaa, by Houthi forces at the onset of the civil war. Since then, Aden has served as the temporary administrative capital for the Saudi-led coalition’s proxy government. However, security inside and around the city remains precarious, leaving political leadership exposed to standoff strikes.
Thursday’s breach demonstrates that the Aden government remains the most vulnerable target in the ongoing conflict.
As Houthi forces pressure the city, the stability of Aden and the survival of the governing cabinet increasingly depend on international security guarantees, including troop commitments pledged by regional allies such as Turkey and Pakistan under the Mecca security framework. Without robust defensive measures, the government risks losing control of its temporary capital for a second time.
