Five people were killed and 16 wounded on Thursday when Yemen's Houthi movement, Ansar Allah, launched a missile attack on the Maashiq presidential palace complex in the southern city of Aden, according to Yemen's health minister.

The compound houses the seat of Yemen's internationally recognised government. It is the first attack on the palace since fighting resumed in Yemen in July. The information ministry said Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani and members of his cabinet were safe. A government minister, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said Zindani was present during the strike but was unharmed.

The Houthi-run Saba news agency said the attack targeted what it described as a military operations headquarters run by Saudi officers inside the palace, as well as weapons depots.

Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad al-Alimi ordered military and security forces to protect state institutions and deliver an "appropriate response to the sources of threat". Zindani called the attack "cowardly".

The UN Security Council, in a joint statement on Thursday, condemned what it called escalatory Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, including "reckless strikes" on Riyadh's airport, and affirmed the kingdom's right to self-defence under international law.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport between 7 and 11 October killed 17 people and injured 333, adding that the airport had been targeted 20 times since the start of the month. The airport remains closed.

Amid the escalation, the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council postponed their summit, scheduled for Riyadh on 24 October 2026, to a later date. Saudi Arabia accused Iran of encouraging the escalation by continuing to arm and train the Houthis.