ADEN, Yemen (AP) — At least six explosions struck Thursday near the palace used by Yemen's internationally recognized government in the port city of Aden, witnesses said. An official said at least two people were killed, and Iran-backed Houthi rebels based in northern Yemen quickly claimed responsibility.
It was a rare attack on the palace area, as fighting has escalated between the rebels and a Saudi-led coalition in the latest front in the Iran war.
The explosions caused panic among residents, who fled the area.
Another six people were wounded, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press. The government said the Houthis attacked with missiles and drones, the Aden-based SABA news agency reported.
A security official said at least two explosions were on top of the hill near the Maashiq palace, and two others were near the security gate.
Many of Yemen's government leaders are living in exile, and those in Aden were safe, a government official said. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The Houthis said they attacked a military operations headquarters with the “Saudi enemy," part of their strategy of attacking Saudi targets that has included a series of attacks on airports and oil infrastructure inside the kingdom.
The escalation has complicated efforts to end the wider Iran war and further rattled global markets as Saudi Arabia, one of the world's top oil exporters, faces repeated attacks. Regional aviation is affected, too, as the rebels have warned airlines about their use of Saudi airspace for attacks. Thousands of flights across the kingdom have been disrupted.
Earlier Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis said it intercepted a cruise missile over the province of Medina. Flightradar 24, a tracking platform, said dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed at Jeddah airport.
The coalition statement did not assign blame for the attack. The Houthis’ military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, denied the rebels carried it out. The group previously pledged not to attack airports in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia also said it destroyed a drone over the country's Eastern province, a major oil-producing region, and intercepted a drone in Khamis Mushait, near a major military air base.
Inside Yemen, the fighting has revived a devastating civil war after four years of relative calm. One focus of alarm is the Houthi-besieged city of Taiz.
Residents of Yemen’s third-largest city are running short of basic necessities. Where goods can be found, prices have soared. Gas stations sit empty or out of service. The World Food Program said it can no longer reach more than 600,000 people in Taiz who depend on aid.
Fathiyya Mohamed al-Mugahed said she had gone looking for flour, cooking gas and fuel but found none.
“The Houthis have surrounded us from all sides,” she said. “Projectiles are all we have received from them.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Taiz has seen some of the “highest casualty burdens” in the country.
