Fighter Jets Attack Yemen’s Presidential Palace

Fighter jets have targeted the Presidential Palace in Aden where Yemen’s President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi had been operating since he fled the capital Sanaa in February.

According to Yemeni government officials, anti-aircraft guns intercepted the fighter jets, forcing them to flee. However, smoke was seen rising from the Presidential Palace and the President is thought to have been evacuated.

The latest attack appears to be a sign of escalation in the fighting between Hadi’s supporters and the Shiite Muslim Houthi group, which had previously taken the President hostage for days before he managed to flee.

Before the fighter jet attack, forces loyal to Hadi had clashed with Houthis and supporters of former President Ali Abullah Saleh near Aden’s international airport. At least six were killed around the airport said a military commander of Hadi’s forces.

The clashes came after forces loyal to Hadi stormed a military base where General Abdel-Hafez al-Saqqaf had been holed up after refusing to hand over control of the country’s Special Forces in the city to a newly assigned commander.

The President had been placed under house arrest by Houthi rebels who forced the President, government and Parliament to resign after taking over the capital city.

Houthis, a Shiite Islam sect, have failed to form a government or unite other political factions after they took over the capital.