ADEN, Yemen, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Two powerful explosions rocked Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Wednesday night, a Xinhua reporter on the ground said, while a local security source attributed the blasts to missiles fired by the Houthi group.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said two missiles targeted separate military sites in Al Buraiqeh district in western Aden, where coalition-linked forces maintain a presence.
The Houthis later confirmed ballistic missile attacks on a military command center in Aden and on government forces linked to the Saudi-led coalition across several provinces, claiming dozens of casualties.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in separate statements on social media platform X that missiles targeted a Saudi military command center and operations room in Al Buraiqeh, as well as government forces in the southern province of Lahj, the northern province of Al-Jawf and the northeastern oil-rich province of Marib.
Sarea claimed the missiles hit their intended targets and caused large casualties.
Also on Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said that it had intercepted and destroyed five missiles and two drones launched by Houthis toward Saudi Arabia.
In a statement on X, the coalition said its air defenses intercepted three cruise missiles aimed at the Riyadh region, without providing further details on the targeted locations or possible casualties.
In a separate statement, it announced the interception of two ballistic missiles launched toward the kingdom's western region.
The coalition also reported intercepting two drones launched toward Mecca and southern regions.
The attacks came amid escalating fighting across several Yemeni battlefronts, with government forces, supported by the Saudi-led coalition, reporting intensified operations against Houthi positions. The Houthis have also claimed missile and drone strikes against military installations inside Yemen and strategic infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country's north, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government. ■
