Fighting escalated in Yemen on Thursday after an unidentified warplane attacked the presidential palace in Aden and forces loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi used tanks to fight their way into the airport and a nearby military base.
Aden's governor said that 13 people were killed during the airport and military base operations, which took place before the attack on the palace. Earlier in the week, General Abdel-Hafez al-Saqqaf went into the base and refused to leave after Hadi ordered him to give his Special Forces unit to another officer.
In a statement, Hadi said the Aden attack was an attempted coup backed by the former regime as well as "agents of Iran," Reuters reports. An aide to Hadi said he was safe and in a secure location. Witnesses to the attack on the palace said anti-aircraft guns opened fire at the plane, and they could see smoke rising from the area.