Yemen rebels quit Aden palace after air raids

Rebel forces withdrew from Yemeni President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi’s palace in his former southern stronghold Aden early Friday after overnight air raids by the Saudi-led coalition, a senior official said, Al Arabia reported.

The rebels had seized the hilltop complex a day earlier after fierce fighting with supporters of Hadi, who has taken refuge in Saudi Arabia.

“The Houthi militia and their allies withdrew before dawn from the Al-Maashiq palace,” said the official in Aden, who did not want to be named.

On Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition spokesman said the situation in Aden - the last refuge of Yemen’s internationally-recognized government - is stable.

Houthi rebels and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh have failed to take control over any government buildings in the southern city, Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri said in a televised press conference.

Thursday’s airstrikes also targeted areas in Yemen’s fourth-largest city of al Hudaydah where surface-to-air launchers had been placed, Asiri added.

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