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Explosions hit presidential palace in Aden; Houthis claim responsibility

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 10 outlets across the spectrum.

10 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

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Explosions struck near the presidential palace in Aden, the interim seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, on Thursday. Witnesses reported at least six explosions. Officials gave differing death tolls, from two to five killed. The Houthi rebels quickly claimed responsibility, and said they targeted Saudi military assets. A Yemeni minister said the prime minister and other ministers were not harmed. The attack is part of escalating fighting between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition, which accuses the Houthis of obtaining missile parts from regional states and says Iran is fueling the conflict.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Explosions and missile strikes hit the presidential palace in Aden, the interim seat of Yemen’s government, in an attack the Houthis claimed.

    Reported byLeft4Center3Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English, The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Guardian
    Center
    BBC News, Deutsche Welle, France 24
    Right
    The Washington Times

  2. Houthi rebels said they had targeted Saudi military assets in the attack.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    Deutsche Welle, France 24
    Right
    The Washington Times

  3. Officials gave differing death tolls, from two killed to five killed.

    Reported byLeft1Center2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    BBC News, France 24
    Right
    The Washington Times

  4. A Yemeni minister said the prime minister and other ministers were not harmed.

    Reported byLeft2Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The New York Times, The Guardian
    Center
    BBC News

  5. The Saudi-led coalition accuses the Houthis of obtaining missile parts from regional states.

    One outletAl Jazeera English· Left

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • The number of people killed in the Aden palace attack.

    An official cited by the Associated Press and the Washington Times gave at least two killed; government military sources told AFP at least four were killed; Yemen’s health minister reported at least five killed and 16 wounded.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports a Houthi attack on the presidential palace in Aden, with at least two killed and tolls given from two to five. Left and center outlets stress the prime minister’s safety and the wider war, while the one right-side outlet stresses the explosions and Iran backing.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Leads with the Houthi strike and the prime minister’s safety, attributing the attack to the government; NYT adds Iran backing and the Guardian frames the target as a Saudi-led coalition headquarters.

    Yemen Says Prime Minister Unhurt After Iran-Backed Houthis Strike Palace
    The New York TimesLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    3 outlets

    Reports the strike and death toll as what officials said, with headlines built on ministers’ figures or live-update formats, and no Iran or missile-parts context in the headline.

    Houthi missile attack on Yemeni presidential palace kills two, minister says
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    3 outlets

    The only right-side coverage supplied, a Washington Times story, leads with the explosions and death toll, calls the Houthis Iran-backed and frames it as the latest Houthi attack.

    2 killed in explosions near palace used by Yemen's government in latest Houthi attack
    The Washington TimesRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Loaded modifier

    Quoted

    Saudi enemyMore neutral: Saudi military operations headquarters

    The label “enemy” for Saudi Arabia is the Houthi spokesman’s own partisan description, and the outlet repeats it inside a quotation.

    The Houthis' military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, said they struck "the Saudi enemy's military operations headquarters in Aden".

    Quoted byBBC News (Center)

    These are Yahya Sarea’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

4 outlets

Leads with

  • Prime minister unhurt
  • Iran backing of the Houthis
  • Saudi-led coalition conflict

Leaves out

  • Health minister’s figure of five dead and 16 wounded

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    Houthi missiles strike Saudi-led coalition forces HQ at presidential palace in Aden

    Witnesses report at least six explosions near palace used by Yemen's internationally recognized government At least six explosions struck on Thursday near the palace used by Yemen ’s internationally recognized government in the port city of Aden, witnesses said. …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • BloombergLeft

    Yemen Government Says Houthis Strike Presidential Palace in Aden

    Yemen’s Houthis hit the internationally-recognized government’s presidential palace in the southern part of the country, the latest escalation in the Iran-backed militia’s attacks on Saudi Arabia and Yemeni forces supported by the kingdom.

    Read at Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)
  • The New York TimesLeft

    Yemen Says Prime Minister Unhurt After Iran-Backed Houthis Strike Palace

    Two were killed when Houthi missiles struck the Maashiq Presidential Palace in Aden, a Yemeni minister said. Saudi Arabia has said Iran is fueling the country’s escalating conflict.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)
  • Al Jazeera EnglishLeft

    Houthis target Yemen’s presidential palace in Aden with missiles

    Saudi-led coalition accuses Houthis of obtaining missile parts from regional states.

    Read at Al Jazeera English (opens in a new tab)

From the center

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Death toll from officials
  • Minister’s account
  • Wider Middle East escalation

Leaves out

  • Saudi-led coalition accusation over missile parts

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • France 24Center

    Houthi attack on palace used by Yemen government in Aden kills five

    At least five people were killed and 16 wounded Thursday in a Houthi missile and drone attack on the palace located in Yemen's interim capital – the southern port city of Aden, used by the country's internationally recognised government, an official said.

    Read at France 24 (opens in a new tab)
  • Deutsche WelleCenter

    Middle East updates: Houthis target Yemen government palace in Aden

    Houthi rebels say they targeted Saudi military assets in a rare attack on the interim seat of Yemen's internationally recognized government. Meanwhile, vessels are again under fire near the Strait of Hormuz. More on DW.

    Read at Deutsche Welle (opens in a new tab)
  • BBC NewsCenter

    Houthi missile attack on Yemeni presidential palace kills two, minister says

    Yemen's information minister says the prime minister and other ministers were unhurt when ballistic missiles hit al-Maashiq Palace.

    Read at BBC News (opens in a new tab)

From the right

3 outlets

Leads with

  • Explosions and death toll
  • Iran-backed Houthis
  • Latest attack in a series

Leaves out

  • Prime minister and ministers unhurt

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Houthis Launch Deadly Attack on Yemen’s Presidential Palace

    The Iran-backed Houthi insurgents of Yemen, who have been in the news lately for bombing civilian airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, launched a deadly missile attack Thursday against the presidential palace in Yemen’s port city of Aden, headquarters of the …

    Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRight

    Smoke rises from Yemen presidential palace after Houthi attack

    Yemen’s Prime Minister and cabinet members escaped unharmed after Houthi forces fired five missiles at the Maashiq presidential palace complex in Aden on October 15. …

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)
  • The Washington TimesRight

    2 killed in explosions near palace used by Yemen's government in latest Houthi attack

    At least six explosions struck Thursday near the palace used by Yemen's internationally recognized government in the port city of Aden, witnesses said. …

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    Al Jazeera English, Oct 15, 12:50 PM EDT

  • Center

    28 min later

    Its first report, Oct 15, 1:18 PM EDT

  • Right

    2 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 15, 2:51 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 15, 12:50 PM EDT
  2. BBC NewsCenterOct 15, 1:18 PM EDT
  3. The New York TimesLeftOct 15, 1:23 PM EDT
  4. Deutsche WelleCenterOct 15, 1:44 PM EDT
  5. The Washington TimesRightOct 15, 2:51 PM EDT
  6. BloombergLeftOct 15, 3:29 PM EDT
  7. France 24CenterOct 15, 3:57 PM EDT
  8. The GuardianLeftOct 15, 4:00 PM EDT
  9. New York PostRightOct 16, 10:21 AM EDT
  10. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 16, 1:52 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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