The palace in Sana’a was pounded by at least seven airstrikes late Monday, local media reported. It’s the first time the building has been targeted in almost three years of war. 

Saleh governed Yemen for three decades before he was ousted during the Arab Spring in 2012 amid mass protests against his rule. He subsequently joined forces with the Houthis to fight against the new Saudi-installed government. His killing may alter the course of the war in Yemen.

The Saudis had been working toward a deal with Saleh that represented “their best chance to take the Houthis out of commission,” said Peter Salisbury, a senior research fellow at Chatham House in London.

His killing means that “the gloves are off” for the Saudi-led coalition, Salisbury said. “They will do everything possible now to destroy the Houthis.”