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Houthi Missile Strike Hits Yemen's Presidential Palace in Aden, 5…

Stateline MEDIA Newsroom•October 16, 2026•3 min read

The Houthis attacked Al-Maashiq Palace in Aden with missiles and drones: 5 dead, 16 wounded. PM Shaya Al-Zindani survived. Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for the escalation.

Key Facts

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a missile and drone attack on the Al-Maashiq presidential palace in Aden, the de facto capital of Yemen's internationally recognized government, on Thursday (10/15/2026)
Yemen's Health Minister Qasim Mohammed Buhaibeh reported five people killed and 16 wounded, including security personnel and civilian employees at the government compound; two were members of the prime minister's security detail
Prime Minister Shaya Al-Zindani and cabinet members were confirmed safe; a minister speaking anonymously said Zindani was inside the compound during the attack but was 'not harmed in any way'
The Houthis claimed responsibility; military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the strike targeted a Saudi military operations headquarters in Aden; Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said the attack was carried out with five missiles
The strike was the first on the palace complex since Yemen's civil war flared back up in July; Saudi Arabia accused Iran of driving the recent escalation in Houthi attacks

Missiles Hit Al-Maashiq Palace

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a missile and drone attack on the Al-Maashiq presidential palace in Aden, the de facto capital of Yemen's internationally recognized government, on Thursday (10/15/2026). The strike marks the boldest escalation yet in the Houthis' latest campaign against Saudi Arabia.

Yemen's Health Minister Qasim Mohammed Buhaibeh reported five people killed and 16 wounded. The casualties included security personnel guarding the compound and civilian government employees, among them two members of the prime minister's security detail. An AFP journalist saw smoke rising from the palace complex, while residents of the southern port city reported hearing explosions.

Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said the attack was carried out with five missiles and confirmed that Prime Minister Shaya Al-Zindani and cabinet ministers were safe. A minister speaking on condition of anonymity said Zindani was inside the compound when the attack occurred but was 'not harmed in any way'. Zindani denounced the strike as a cowardly act continuing the group's pattern of hitting civilian sites.

Houthi Claim and Blame on Iran

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack. Military spokesperson Yahya Saree said its fighters had bombed what he described as the Saudi military operations headquarters in Aden, as part of the group's stated policy of targeting Saudi military deployments 'wherever they may be'.

The Houthi-run SABA news agency said the headquarters was run by Saudi officers and housed weapons depots. The claims could not be independently verified.

Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for the dramatic escalation of recent weeks. The Saudi-led coalition listed dozens of Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure in recent weeks, while the Houthis have seized territory along the Red Sea coastline over the past few weeks.

Regional War Escalation

The Aden strike was the first against the palace complex since Yemen's civil war flared back up in July. Earlier, the Houthis struck Riyadh International Airport, killing at least 13 people, and the Saudi Aramco administrative building in Dhahran.

The conflict has become a new theater in the wider Middle East war that erupted after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government launched a counteroffensive, operation 'Yemen's Dawn', this month to retake Houthi-held territory, but so far has failed to reverse the gains.

Aid agencies have warned that humanitarian conditions in Yemen are deteriorating rapidly. Meanwhile, Brent crude has held at USD100 per barrel or more, adding to global inflationary pressure.