On December 30 afternoon, a large blast was heard near Aden’s Presidential Palace, which hosts the Prime Minister and all...
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On December 30 afternoon, a large blast was heard near Aden’s Presidential Palace, which hosts the Prime Minister and all 24 members of the newly-formed Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
Government members were moved to the palace earlier today after an attack on Aden Airport. Several projectiles struck the airport shortly after a plane carrying the ministers arrived from Saudi Arabia.
The explosions in Aden Airport left 22 people dead, according to a number of Yemeni sources. More than 50 others were reportedly injured.
The explosion near Aden’s Presidential Palace was apparently the result of a follow-up attack. The UAE-based al-Arabiya TV said the explosion was caused by the successful interception of an armed drone that was heading to attack the palace. No human losses were reported.
The characteristics of today’s attacks in Aden suggest that the Houthis, Ansar Allah, were the perpetrators. However, the Yemeni group denied responsibility for the rocket strike on the airport.
“The confused statements of the mercenary government of Riyadh about the explosions in Aden Airport are questionable,” Dhaifallah al-Shami, Minister of Information in the pro-Houthi Sanaa-based Salvation Government, said on Twitter. “ It is an attempt to cover up their crimes against civilians and to settle the inter-accounts of mercenary parties.”
The new Yemeni government was formed in the framework of the 2019 Riyadh agreement that put an end to a heated crisis between pro-Saudi parities and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council.
The attacks in Aden will likely enflame the already tense situation in Yemen. Fierce battles between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces are still taking place on several fronts.
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- On December 29, Ansar Allah attacked positions of Saudi-led forces in Jabal Murad and reportedly captured Ahdhan Mountain.
- The Liaison and Coordination Officers’ Operations Room (loyal to Ansar Allah) reported 150 ceasefire violations in al-Hudaydah during the past 24 hours.
- On December 29, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 2 airstrikes on Sanaa Airport.
- On December 29, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 4 airstrikes on the Zaher area.
- On December 29, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted 5 airstrikes on the Kitaf area.
- On December 30, clashes between Ansar Allah and Saudi-led forces were reported near the Labanat base.
Despite the UN-backed peace efforts, the war in Yemen appears to be far from over. The intra-Yemeni peace talks, which saw some progress last year, are yet to bear any fruit.
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