Houthis Target Yemen's Presidential Palace in Aden With Missile Attacks

Saudi-led coalition accuses Houthis of obtaining missile components from regional countries.

As a result of Houthi missile attacks, at least five people were killed in the vicinity of the presidential palace of al-Mashkh in the port city of Aden, Yemen.

The Minister of Health of Yemen says that five people were killed and 16 were injured in the Houthi missile attack on the Al-Mashkh presidential palace in Aden, Yemen.

Yemen's Minister of Information, Muammar Al-Ariani, said in a social media post on Thursday that the Houthis have targeted the Al-Mashkh presidential palace with five missiles.

The government says the prime minister and other officials are safe, but two of his bodyguards were killed in the attack.

Smoke was rising from the vicinity of the palace.

Al Jazeera reporters reported early Thursday that explosions occurred near the palace.

This palace is considered to be the seat and seat of power of the government supported by Saudi Arabia and recognized internationally.

Al Jazeera's Youssef Mawry, reporting from the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, said the attack on the headquarters of the internationally recognized government was the "first of its kind" by the Houthis.

"This is a sign of heightened tension between both sides," Mowry said.

The attack in Aden came as fighting escalated between the Houthis, an armed group also known as Ansarullah (Arabic for God's Supporters), and Saudi-backed forces in Taiz, which is effectively besieged by the Houthis.

Control of Taiz, Yemen's third largest city and the wider Taiz province, in the country's southwest, guarantees both sides control of the important Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Forces allied with the Yemeni government said that they are repelling the Houthi attack on Dhubab Airport.

The pro-government National Guard Force announced in a statement that they, along with the Southern Giant Battalions, provide security for the airport in the coastal city of Zobab in Taiz province.

Aid agencies say the escalation of violence in Taiz is pushing the health care system to breaking point.

On Sunday, the Ministry of Public Health warned of a "humanitarian disaster" there.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition says Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport has been hit by at least 20 Houthi attacks over the past 11 days, and dozens of other airports, oil facilities and ports have also been targeted.

During a news conference in the Saudi capital, coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki released footage showing the attacks on the main airport with passengers fleeing for safety.

The coalition says that the Houthi attacks left 17 dead and more than 300 wounded.

Al-Maliki also accused the Houthis of acquiring ballistic missiles from other countries in the region.

Mohammad Al-Masri, a professor at the Doha Institute for Advanced Studies, said the Saudi-led coalition's news conference was a response to "perhaps some military and security failures."

"There's an image problem there because that might affect the perception of Saudi deterrence, the fact that the missiles are going through," he told Al Jazeera.

Al-Masri said the Houthis are also suffering from an image crisis, and the international community considers their actions "reprehensible," especially those targeting civilian infrastructure.