Houthi Missiles Hit Aden's Maashiq Palace and Airport Grounds, Pushing Yemen's War Closer to Saudi Energy Routes

Al Jazeera reports that the Houthis hit the Al-Maashiq presidential palace in Aden with five missiles on Thursday, 15 October 2026; Yemeni government officials said five people were killed and 16 wounded. On Friday, 16 October, two missiles landed on the grounds of Aden airport, about 500 metres from a plane preparing to depart for Cairo, with no casualties reported. The Houthis say they targeted a Saudi military operations headquarters.

Al Jazeera adds that the Houthis seized areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb strait in September, and that since Iran closed Hormuz in March Saudi Arabia has routed more oil exports to the Red Sea through its East-West pipeline. The UN Security Council condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia. A Saudi official accused Iran of encouraging the escalation, while Iran's Foreign Ministry rejected any role in Houthi operations.