Aden // Fifteen members of the Saudi-led coalition, including four Emirati soldiers, were killed in Houthi missile attacks on Aden that struck a hotel housing members of Yemen’s government and buildings used by the coalition.
The attacks also killed a number of Yemeni troops, the UAE state news agency Wam reported, blaming Houthi militias and forces loyal to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
“Four of our brave soldiers have fallen in the line of duty in Aden,” General Command of the UAE Armed Forces said.
Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and several other ministers managed to escape after three rockets fired by Houthi rebel forces targeted Al Qasr Hotel in Al Boraiqah district, where the Yemeni government is based.
UAE troops have taken a leading role in driving the Houthis from Aden and southern Yemen as they seek to reinstall the internationally recognised government of President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.
Pictures showed Al Qasr Hotel on fire and there were casualities among guards and other residents but none of the Yemeni ministers were injured.
A second building in the district, the palace of Sheikh Fareed Al Awlaqi, was also targeted and ablaze. The building was being used by officials from the UAE military and the Emirates Red Crescent. The Red Crescent has overseen the aid operation in the city which was extensively damage from the Houthi occupation.
Another rocket targeted a camp in Al Shab area, where coalition forces are based.
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash, said the rocket attacks were proof that the Houthis and Saleh’s forces were seeking to destroy Yemen.
“Facts on the ground indicate that they are fighting a losing battle and that their role has been curtailed,” he said on Twitter. “They are losing ground and attempting to cause damage using mines, ambushes and missiles.”
Alawi Bafaqeeh, Yemen’s immigration minister, told The National that all the ministers who were staing Al Qasr Hotel were safe but that several others had been killed or injured.
“The rockets targeted the hotel at 6.30am and there are martyrs and injured people, but we do not know the number yet,” he said.
Mr Bafaqeeh said the Yemeni government, which returned from exile to Aden last month, will continue working from city.
“We will not leave Aden, and we will keep working from Aden during the all conditions,” he said.
Mohammed Al Awadi, a senior official in Mr Bahah’s office in Aden, said the Houthis targeted the hotel from outside Aden, confirming that the battle against the rebels will continue to all areas in Yemen.
All the roads leading to Al Qasr hotel were blocked by security forces after the attack. Columns of smoke could be seen rising into the sky and the sounds of sirens from ambulances and other emergency services could be heard across the city.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
