The Houthis target with missiles the temporary presidential palace in Aden, causing deaths and injuries

The Ministry of Information in the Yemeni government announced today, Thursday (October 15, 2026), that Prime Minister Shaye’ al-Zindani and members of the government are fine, after the Al-Ma’ashiq Palace in the city of Aden, southern Yemen, was targeted by a number of missiles. The ministry said in a statement that the attack "was carried out by the Houthi militia, and resulted in the deaths of two of the Prime Minister's companions."

Al-Ma'ashiq Palace in Aden is the temporary headquarters of the internationally recognized government, which is supported by a Saudi-led military coalition.

Three Yemeni government military sources told Agence France-Presse that the attack resulted in the deaths of at least four people and the wounding of 10 others, according to a preliminary toll.

On the other hand, the Yemeni news agency “Saba”, in its Houthi version, quoted a military source as saying that “the armed forces (affiliated with the group) targeted a military operations headquarters in Qasr al-Ma’ashiq.”

The Houthi source said, "Saudi officers run the headquarters," noting at the same time that "their weapons stores in Al-Ma'ashiq were targeted."

Eyewitnesses had previously reported hearing five explosions in the city of Aden, and seeing plumes of smoke rising from the vicinity of Al-Ma'ashiq Palace, which houses the headquarters of the Yemeni government, in the Crater District.

The Yemeni government forces also announced that the Iranian-backed Houthis targeted, on Thursday, with ballistic missiles, the city of Marib in the center of the country, which is located within areas under their control, in the midst of ongoing battles between the two parties.

A publication by the government forces' media center on the XN platform said, "The terrorist Houthi militias target the densely populated city of Ma'rib with several ballistic missiles."

Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition supporting the Yemeni government, said Thursday (October 15, 2026) during a press conference attended by Agence France-Presse, “The terrorist Houthi militias worked to obtain advanced technologies with the help of regional parties,” noting that the Houthis possess “ballistic missiles, attack and suicide drones, and explosive speedboats.”

The coalition said that the Houthi militia, supported by Iran, carried out about 20 attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh since October 1, indicating that the Houthis targeted Saudi Arabia with a total of 1,104 missiles and 1,135 drones launched at the Kingdom since the start of operations.

Al-Maliki called on the Houthis to "immediately stop all terrorist operations targeting civilians and civilian objects, including airports, ports, oil installations and infrastructure."

On the other hand, the coalition confirmed that it destroyed more than 120 weapons depots in the mountains of Yemen and many launching pads.

In a related context, the Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Public Diplomacy, Dr. Raed Qirmeli, confirmed during a video briefing with journalists today, Thursday, that “at the beginning of this escalation, we asked them (the Houthis) to meet in Muscat, in the Sultanate of Oman, but they refused. That was the last communication that took place a few weeks ago,” noting at the same time “to maintain direct channels of communication with the Houthis.”

He accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis in the recent escalation against the Kingdom, stressing that the Islamic Republic continues to "arm, train and support" Yemeni fighters.

The European Union said today, Thursday (October 15, 2026), that it postponed a summit with the Gulf states that was scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia on October 24, in light of increasing security concerns in the Kingdom as a result of attacks launched by the Yemeni Houthi group.

The postponement is a new blow to Saudi Arabia’s efforts to host international events despite the escalation of the war with the Houthis.

The European Union intended, in part, to hold the summit to show solidarity with the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia in the midst of the war, but the decision to cancel it confirms the seriousness of the situation.

At the weekend, 13 people were killed and hundreds injured in strikes targeting Riyadh International Airport, for which the Iran-aligned Houthis claimed responsibility. The airport, through which senior guests participating in the summit were supposed to arrive, remains closed after the attacks.

CNN reported today, Thursday (October 15, 2026), citing American officials, that the US military has made plans to launch strikes that may include the use of a GBU-43/B bomb, known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” against Iran’s energy infrastructure and nuclear sites if President Donald Trump orders the resumption of combat operations.

The US military announced on Wednesday the destruction of a ship linked to Iran. US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the region (Centcom), said on the X platform that US forces attacked the ship last week. She added that the ship was carrying out a reconnaissance mission in the Gulf of Oman, and targeted US Navy ships, noting that its crew had been evacuated to a safe place before the attack.

Officials in the maritime shipping sector said on Wednesday that a container ship and a dry bulk cargo ship sank near the Strait of Hormuz during the past 24 hours, after they were targeted by projectiles in two separate incidents.

Maritime security sources said that the GFS Pride, a small container ship flying the Singapore flag, sank while sailing through the strait. The Maritime and Ports Authority of Singapore said in a statement on Wednesday: “The ship 'GFS Pride' was damaged and a fire broke out on board, and then sank. All 21 crew members were evacuated safely.”

In a separate incident, data from the United Nations International Maritime Organization showed that the ship (Cape Dow), flying the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, sank near the strait, weeks after it was targeted by a projectile on September 23. Naval sources said that one of the crew members was killed, while the rest of the crew was evacuated immediately after the strike.