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Smoke billows from the presidential palace complex in Aden, Yemen, following an attack by Houthi rebels on the 15th (local time). / Reuters Yonhap

CNN reported that Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked the Al-Maashiq Presidential Palace in the port city of Aden, Yemen's interim capital, with missiles and drones on the 15th (local time), killing five people, including two bodyguards of Yemeni Prime Minister Shaya al-Zindani.

According to the Yemeni Ministry of Health, along with the five dead, 16 people were injured. The Houthis claimed the attack targeted a Saudi Arabian military operations center inside the palace.

Yemeni Minister of Public Health Qasim Mohammed Buhaibeh explained that the casualties included security personnel and civilian staff present at government offices, a primary working space for senior officials.

Yemeni Minister of Information Moammar al-Eryani stated that Prime Minister Zindani and cabinet members remained safe despite the attack.

Witnesses told Reuters that they heard loud explosions near the prime minister's residence.

In a statement on the 15th, the Houthis claimed, "The shelling of the war operations headquarters of the Saudi enemy forces in Aden is in line with the declared principle of attacking concentrations of Saudi forces," adding, "All military presence of the Saudi enemy is considered a legitimate target for our armed forces."

The internationally recognized Yemeni government designated Aden as its interim capital after the Houthis seized Sanaa, the official capital, in 2014.

Since then, Saudi Arabia has supported the Yemeni government to prevent the conflict from spreading to its southern region bordering Yemen.

                                                                                                             Kim Hyun-min