Yemeni government forces and their Saudi-backed allies face attacks from the Iran-aligned Houthi militia, culminating in a missile strike on the presidential palace in Aden. The conflict has intensified across multiple fronts, threatening critical shipping lanes and straining regional security.
The international coalition supporting Yemen’s recognized government absorbed a direct blow when the Houthi militia targeted the presidential palace in Aden with a volley of ballistic hardware. Shaya Mohsen al-Zindani was inside the hilltop complex overlooking the Gulf of Aden during the bombardment but escaped uninjured. According to a government minister who spoke anonymously, three missiles struck a command center belonging to government troops, while two others hit the headquarters of the Saudi-led military coalition on the palace grounds.
The raid left at least four people dead and wounded roughly ten others, drawing immediate condemnation from Riyadh. Rayed Krimly accused Tehran of orchestrating the surge in violence.
Yahya Saree said that it was the headquarters of the enemy's military operations.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree asserted that any Saudi military presence
inside the country remained a legitimate target for the militia’s operations. The assault on Aden signals a sharp pivot for the conflict, drawing the southern port city back into the direct line of fire after years of relative quiet following the 2022 truce. Aden serves as a vital hub with an important port east of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, where the international community and the recognized administration have sought to anchor their state functions since Houthi forces seized control of the capital Sanaa in 2014.
Saudi Arabia intervened militarily in 2015 alongside a coalition to support the Yemeni government against the Houthi militia. In the most recent escalation, the pro-Iranian Houthi militia has intensified its campaign not only against positions in the south, but also across the border. As Saudi Arabia fights the Houthi militia, the kingdom faces compounding pressures from nearly daily attacks on airports, oil facilities, and infrastructure.
Clashes Flare Around Besieged Taiz and Red Sea Chokepoints
Surrounded by Houthi forces in the mountainous southwest, the city of more than one million residents is experiencing severe shortages of fuel, water, and medical supplies. Humanitarian agencies report that movement in and out of the enclave has ground to an almost complete halt, forcing tens of thousands to flee. People have fled the recent fighting in and around Taiz, according to figures released by the Yemeni government.
🚨 HOUTHIS STRIKE SAUDI-LED COALITION HQ IN ADENHouthi forces launched multiple ballistic missiles and drones at the Saudi-led coalition headquarters in Al-Buraiqa, western Aden, early Friday.At least 5 explosions were reported, with fires visible around the compound.The… pic.twitter.com/lBt7lq2qsN
Government forces and allied factions have launched counteroffensives to break the encirclement of Taiz, which has served as a critical front line since the outbreak of the civil war in 2014 when Houthi rebels conquered the north and west of the country. According to reports from the area, heavy combat has taken place along the Dhubab-front west of Taiz as well as the Al-Aqrud and Al-Shaqab fronts in the south. Government aircraft have targeted Houthi armor and military vehicles in areas such as Ras al-Najd within the Al-Misrakh district, while other convoys carrying military supplies in Hadramaut have been struck by ballistic missiles.
Stakes Rise Along the Bab al-Mandab Strait
Beyond the urban centers, control over the Red Sea coastline remains a central objective for all combatants. The Houthi advance along the Bab al-Mandab Strait—a vital artery for international maritime trade—has reshaped the strategic balance in the region. These units operate under a complex dual alignment within the anti-Huthi coalition.
Analysts emphasize that the militia’s durability stems from years of building administrative, economic, and political control across the territories they govern in northern and western Yemen. Rather than acting merely as a proxy force, the movement—often traced back to the Believing Youth movement founded in Saada in the 1990s and later politicized by Husain Badreddin al-Huthi—commands hundreds of thousands of armed followers and maintains extensive domestic revenue sources through checkpoints, taxation, and administrative structures.
With the 2022 ceasefire fully collapsed following renewed Houthi offensives, the confrontation now spans from maritime blockades in the Red Sea to infrastructure attacks deep inside Saudi territory, including school closures and remote learning mandates enacted in Riyadh in response to the security threat.
The broader regional dynamics are further complicated by shifting diplomatic alignments. While Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates navigate competing interests in the south—where Abu Dhabi supports the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and its push for secession—diplomatic channels have seen high-level visits between Emirati and Saudi leadership. Meanwhile, international actors continue to debate responses to the crisis, leaving the conflict in Yemen tightly intertwined with wider Middle Eastern tensions.