5 killed in presidential palace attack in Yemen's Aden

Five people were killed and 16 others wounded in an attack launched by the Houthi group on the presidential palace compound in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, Yemen's government said on Thursday. The Houthis claimed Saudi military officers were killed or wounded in the attack.

Minister of Public Health and Population Qassem Buhaibeh said in a statement that those killed and wounded included security guards and civilian employees working at the Al-Ma'ashiq Presidential Palace compound, the temporary seat of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

Earlier on Thursday, a local security official said that five missiles struck the presidential palace compound, while another attack targeted the headquarters of the Saudi-led coalition forces in Aden's Al Buraiqa district.

Loud explosions rocked Aden during the strikes, with smoke rising from the vicinity of the presidential palace, according to a reporter on the ground.

Local sources told Xinhua that "high-level meetings" had recently been held at the compound to prepare Saudi-backed government forces for fighting the Houthis.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group targeted the "Saudi military operations headquarters" in Aden, without specifying its exact location.

Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, citing a Houthi military leader, later said Saudi military officers were killed or wounded in an attack targeting a "military operations headquarters run by Saudi officers" inside the presidential palace compound in Aden.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia or the Saudi-led coalition on the claim.

The attack marked a further escalation in the confrontation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, with the two sides trading intensified strikes in recent days.

The Saudi-led coalition said on Thursday that Houthi attacks on King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh have killed 17 people and injured more than 330 others since October 1, with the airport coming under 20 attacks during the two-week period.

Meanwhile, the Houthis said Saudi warplanes conducted 65 air and missile strikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen during the past 24 hours.

The UN Security Council on Thursday strongly condemned escalating Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including attacks affecting civilian aviation and energy infrastructure. The council members demanded that the Houthis immediately cease their military escalation in Yemen, and reiterated their support for a political settlement.

Saudi Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Rayed Krimly told reporters on Thursday that the Houthis rejected Riyadh's call for a meeting in Oman "to resolve outstanding differences" at the beginning of this escalation in July, media reports said.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, forcing the government out of the capital.

(With input from Xinhua)