Iran-backed Houthi attack on Yemen's Aden: What does this mean?
What we know about the Houthi attacks on the presidential palace and Aden airport and why they are important.
The Iran-backed Houthis, an armed group also known as Ansarullah (Arabic for God's Supporters), fired a missile at the presidential palace in the southern Yemeni city of Aden on Thursday, killing five people and wounding 16 others.
On Friday, while a passenger plane was preparing to fly to Cairo, two missiles landed in the area of Aden International Airport.
After the Houthis seized Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014, the internationally recognized Yemeni government backed by a coalition of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia collapsed into Aden.
The latest attacks come as Yemen's war, largely halted under a 2022 ceasefire, has reignited as another front in a wider regional conflict with Iran.
So what happened in Aden and why does it matter?
According to Muammar Al-Ariani, the Minister of Information, the Houthis targeted the Al-Mashkh presidential palace with five missiles.
Health Minister Qasim Bouhaiba said that among the dead and wounded are security guards and civilian employees.
The government said Prime Minister Shaya al-Zandani and other officials were safe, but two of his bodyguards were killed.
Houthi army spokesman Yahya Saree said the group attacked what he called the "headquarters of Saudi military operations" in Aden.
According to the Aden Security Department, which blamed the Houthis, two missiles hit the airport area on Friday. This is the second attack on the facility in less than a week.
The missiles landed about 500 meters (1,600 feet) from the plane, al-Ariani said. No casualties were reported.
Al-Aryani called this attack "a direct threat to the lives of passengers and aviation crew".
The Houthi Saba agency claimed that the group targeted a military headquarters and weapons depots inside the Badr camp, a military site adjacent to the airport.
The government moved there after the Houthis took control of the capital Sanaa in 2014 and later imposed their own government.
Al-Mashik Palace is the seat of the internationally recognized government and its seat of power.
The Houthis currently control most of the north and west of the country. The fighting between the Houthis and the pro-government Saudi coalition was largely over after the 2022 ceasefire.
But in September, the Houthis launched a blitzkrieg along the Red Sea coast, seizing territory overlooking the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea. Nearly two weeks ago, government forces launched a counter-offensive called "Operation Dawn of Yemen" with Saudi air support, but so far they have not been able to reverse these gains.
Saree said the Houthi attacks on Aden were part of the group's declared policy of targeting "Saudi auxiliaries wherever they are."
In December 2020, at least 22 people were killed in an attack on Aden airport as the new cabinet arrived from Saudi Arabia.
The second attack took place on the palace where the ministers were present and it was transferred to Aman. The coalition blamed the Houthis, who denied responsibility.
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Minister of Public Diplomacy, Raed Karimli, accused Iran of "encouraging" the escalation.
He said that the Iran-backed Houthis rejected the offer to meet for talks in Oman when the latest round of hostilities began.
Tehran denied this claim on Friday. Ismail Baqaei, the spokesman of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: The Islamic Republic of Iran rejects any claim that Iran has a role in the operation of Yemen (Houthis).
Beqaei said Iran was "always ready to use its good offices to help end hostilities" and reiterated the offer of mediation.
The Canadian Embassy in Saudi Arabia condemned the attack on the palace and called for an "immediate reduction of hostilities."
The Canadian Embassy in Saudi Arabia announced in a post on X: We stand in solidarity with the internationally recognized government of Yemen and the people of Yemen.
On Thursday, the United Nations Security Council condemned the escalation of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including those affecting civil aviation and energy infrastructure.
The Governing Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization of the United Nations also condemned the recent attacks on civilian airports and aircraft in Saudi Arabia.
On October 9, Hans Grundberg, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, told the UN Security Council that the country had re-entered "full-scale war".
Fighting resumed in July, ending a 2022 ceasefire.
Last month, the Houthis seized control of the Bab al-Mandab strait, one of the world's most important waterways. Since the Strait of Hormuz was closed by Iran in March amid US strikes, Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on shipping its oil exports to the Red Sea through its east-west pipeline. The Houthis announced the blockade of Saudi ships there earlier this year.
On October 4, Rashad al-Alimi, the head of the Presidential Leadership Council, announced Operation Dawn of Yemen to retake areas controlled by the Houthis, including Sana'a.
The Saudi-led coalition said 100 fighter jets had taken part in the coalition, its first acknowledgment since 2022 that it had resumed airstrikes against the Houthis.
The Houthis, in turn, have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at Saudi airports, oil facilities, and other infrastructure.
On Friday, the coalition said it had intercepted a ballistic missile headed for Yanbu, the Red Sea oil hub used by Saudi Arabia to export crude oil.
On the ground, fighting has escalated in Taiz province, where the Houthis are besieging the city of Taiz and which borders the Red Sea. The state media of Saba, quoting the Taiz axis military command, reported that 168 Houthi fighters were killed and 210 were injured.
In Houthi-controlled areas, the Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health announced that 124 civilians have been killed and 327 wounded since September 3.
Early on Saturday, Houthi-affiliated media reported attacks in eastern Saada, and the coalition said it had destroyed two ballistic missile launchers there.