Middle East updates: Houthis target Yemen government palace in Aden

Houthi rebels on Thursday said a missile attack targeted the Yemeni government's interim capital of Aden.

Witnesses cited by news agencies reported several explosions and smoke rising from the area around the al-Maashiq Palace, in a rare attack on the headquarters of Yemen's internationally recognized government in the southern port city.

Yemeni Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani and members of the government were safe, according to Yemen's Information Ministry.

The ministry statement added two members of the prime minister's security detail were killed.

Other reports, citing government officials, said 10 people were injured. It is currently unclear if the palace itself was hit, or what the extent of damage could be.

Houthi-affiliated media reported the strikes targeted "the headquarters of military operations, led by Saudi officers, at the Al-Maashiq Palace in Aden, as well as weapons depots belonging to them."

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya ​Saree said the strikes targeted what he called "Saudi ‌military operations headquarters in Aden," Reuters reported.

Yemen's civil war reignited in September as the Iran-backed Houthis launched a rapid offensive against government forces, capturing key territory along the Red Sea coast and expanding their control over swathes of territory on the Red Sea.

Since then both sides have regularly traded strikes. The Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, with several killed in separate attacks on Riyadh airport.

Despite, Saudi-led coalition airstrikes and government counter-offensives, the group’s recent territorial gains have largely remained intact.