Civilian aviation in Saudi Arabia has become a recurring target in the renewed Red Sea conflict. Coalition briefings credit Houthi forces with twenty hits this month on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport — seventeen fatalities and 333 injuries — plus further damage at Abha that left three dead and twenty-eight hurt. The UN aviation body’s governing council has already denounced attacks on passenger airports.
That air pressure coincides with ground moves near a vital shipping bottleneck. Units loyal to Yemen’s Riyadh-backed administration lately advanced toward Bab el-Mandeb after skirmishes with the Houthis reignited last month. Regional tension that spiked when Washington and Jerusalem struck Iranian targets in February still frames every local clash.
Against that backdrop, Thursday’s barrage on Aden’s Al-Maashiq compound stands out for symbolism. Qasim Buhaibeh, who holds the health portfolio, put the toll at five killed and sixteen wounded, listing both security staff and office workers among the casualties. Moammar al-Eryani, speaking for information, counted five missiles into the palace grounds yet said the premier and ministers escaped injury. Wire desks had first reported only two slain guards before the official count climbed.
Yahya Saree, the Houthi military voice, cast the raid as punishment aimed at a Saudi command node and fresh reinforcements in the southern port. The movement’s SABA outlet added unverified talk of officers and arms stores. For Aden’s internationally recognised government, the novelty bites: Al-Maashiq had stayed untouched through this round until now.
The country’s war began with the Houthi takeover of Sanaa in 2014 and Riyadh’s intervention the following year. A ceasefire struck in 2022 lasted into the present calendar year before giving way to airport raids, coastal offensives and, now, a direct hit on the presidential seat in Aden.
