Aden, Aug 1 (IANS): As many as 42 people were killed and dozens others wounded in a missile attack and car blast in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Thursday, the media reported.

In the first attack, a Houthi-fired ballistic missile targeted a pro-government military base killing 38 soldiers and leaving scores injured, a military official was cited as saying by Xinhua news agency.

At the time of strike, military leaders and government officials were attending a parade at the Jalaa Army base in Buraiqa.

The website of the Houthi rebels quoted spokesman Brig Gen Yehia Sarea as saying the rebels fired a ballistic missile at forces loyal to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthis since 2015.

The Houthi-affiliated Masirah television network claimed responsibility for launching missile. "The attack was aimed at a military parade of invaders and mercenaries, and it precisely targeted the base," said the Masirah television network in a statement released minutes after the attack.

"An explosion rocked the ground and caused panic and confusion among soldiers," said a soldier named Ali Faqeeh. "Many soldiers died on the parade square, which was smeared with body parts and blood," said Faqeeh.

The missile attack coincided with a car bomb attack at a police station in the Sheik Othman neighbourhood in Aden, leaving four soldiers killed and 20 others injured.

No one claimed the responsibility for the car bomb attack, but the security sources blamed it on extremist groups.