Aden's Maashiq palace: death toll from Houthi missile attack rises to five

The death toll from the Houthi missile and drone attack on the Maashiq presidential palace complex in Aden has risen to five. The Houthis are allies of the Islamic Republic. Qasem Buhaibeh, health minister of Yemen's internationally recognised government, said 16 other people were wounded in the attack, carried out on Thursday, 15 October 2026. DIAR's earlier report said two guards had been killed.

According to Yemeni government officials, the victims were guards and civilian staff of the complex. Yemen's information minister, Moammar al-Eryani, said five missiles were fired at the palace, and the cabinet also reported the use of a drone in the attack. The prime minister and cabinet members were unharmed. Witnesses reported at least six explosions around the complex, and residents left the area.

The Houthis' claim and the Yemeni government's response

The Houthis claimed the target was a military operations headquarters under the command of Saudi officers and weapons depots inside the complex. Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesman, called the attack part of a policy of targeting Saudi forces wherever they are. The claim has not been independently confirmed. The Yemeni cabinet said the attack would not stop the government's work and that Aden remains the seat of state institutions.

The UN Security Council, in its first presidential statement on Yemen since 2019, also condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the threat to shipping in the Red Sea.

The Islamic Republic's role in the escalation

Raed Krimly, Saudi Arabia's deputy foreign minister, accused the Islamic Republic of encouraging this escalation and of continuing to send weapons, training and support to the Houthis in violation of Security Council resolutions. Turki al-Maliki, spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition, said the Houthis have fired 1,104 missiles and 1,135 drones at Saudi Arabia since the start of the fighting. At the same time, Abbas Araghchi, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister, stressed the strengthening and expansion of relations in a letter to the Houthis' deputy foreign minister.

The attack on the Maashiq palace killed five people, while the Islamic Republic keeps expanding its ties with the Houthis.

Earlier, the Saudi coalition reported 17 deaths in 20 Houthi attacks on Riyadh airport, and a new study showed that the Houthis are building missiles resembling the Khorramshahr with Chinese parts.