Sana'a - At least 60 people were killed on Thursday in two
attacks targeting security facilities in Yemen's southern city of
Aden, a government minister said.
The attacks hit a camp during a military parade and a police station
in the government-controlled port city.
"The tally of both attacks has surged to more than 60 fatalities and
dozens of injured people," Minister of Human Rights Mohammed Askar
wrote on Twitter.
The missile attack on the camp in the western section of Aden was
claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels.
So far, there has been no claim of responsibility for the car bombing
that took place near the police station, located in central Aden.
Askar blamed the bombing on al-Qaeda militants, who are active in the
impoverished country.
The victims included Brigadier Munir al-Yafi, the commander of the
so-called Security Belt's First Support Brigade, who was killed in
the attack on the parade.
The Security Belt is a force trained and supported by the United Arab
Emirates, a key partner in a Saudi-led military alliance fighting in
Yemen against Iran-linked Houthi rebels.
Rebel spokesman Yahya Sarie said in a press statement they had
targeted the parade with a drone and a ballistic missile.
He added that military and economic facilities in the Saudi-led
coalition's countries were "legitimate" targets and called on
civilians and foreign companies to avoid "these targets."
Aden became the provisional capital of the Saudi-backed government
after the rebels overran Yemen's capital Sana'a in late 2014 in what
has been a devastating power struggle.
Also on Thursday, Pro-Houthi television al-Masirah reported that the
rebels had fired a missile against a "military target" in Dammam, an
economic hub in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia.
There has been no official Saudi comment.
In recent months, the Houthis have intensified their missile and
drone attacks into neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
Yemen's conflict has intensified since March 2015, when the Houthis
first advanced on Aden, prompting Saudi Arabia and Sunni allies to
start an air campaign against the Shiite group.
The Saudis fear that Iran, their regional rival, is backing the
Houthis in order to secure a foothold in the Arabian Peninsula.