Yemen’s Houthis have accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out more than 50 airstrikes against their positions within 24 hours, following a rare Houthi drone and missile attack on a military base inside the kingdom.
The latest escalation comes as fighting between the Houthis and Saudi backed Yemeni government forces intensifies after months of relative calm. The renewed conflict began in July after the Iran backed group announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia and launched attacks on vessels in the Red Sea.
The escalation has also followed a week long Houthi offensive that ended with the group taking control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and strengthening its position around the Bab al Mandab Strait.
The strategic waterway has become increasingly important to Saudi Arabia’s oil exports, particularly as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed amid the wider conflict between the United States and Iran.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement on Telegram that Saudi forces had carried out 58 airstrikes against Houthi positions during the previous 24 hours.
The group has claimed that Saudi attacks have intensified since its latest major assault on Saudi territory. According to the Houthis, the attack was among their largest missile and drone operations against the kingdom in years, setting several oil facilities on fire and leaving 73 people injured.
Houthi media outlet Almasirah reported that Saudi aircraft carried out two strikes in Saada province, a major Houthi stronghold. It also reported artillery fire in the Monabbih border district.
Later, the channel reported two additional Saudi strikes on a market in northern Yemen’s Al Jawf province.
The Houthis have claimed that more than 100 strikes have been carried out against their positions since Tuesday, although Saudi authorities have not publicly confirmed the full number.
So far, the reported Saudi strikes have largely concentrated on frontline areas where they support Yemeni government forces. The attacks have not significantly targeted the Houthis’ main centres of power, including the capital, Sanaa.
Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 after the Houthis seized Sanaa and drove out the internationally recognised government. Saudi Arabia later led a military coalition against the group from 2015 until a UN backed ceasefire in 2022 brought a period of relative calm.
That fragile calm has now been shattered as the fighting spreads once again.
Houthis target Saudi military base
The Houthis said they launched drones and missiles at the Sharurah military base in southern Saudi Arabia.
Saree said the operation targeted weapons depots and command and control facilities involved in Saudi military operations against Yemen.
Saudi authorities have generally avoided extensive public comments about Houthi attacks, although the kingdom has issued frequent warnings over possible attacks in areas close to the Yemeni border.
On Sunday, Saudi civil defence authorities issued alerts for Abha and the surrounding Khamis Mushait area before lifting them shortly afterwards.
Saudi civil defence also reported that two people were injured late Saturday after a projectile launched by the Houthis landed in the Jizan region near the Yemeni border.
The renewed fighting is also creating a growing humanitarian crisis.
Nearly 86,000 people have been displaced in Yemen in recent weeks, according to the International Organisation for Migration, representing an increase of about 10,000 people in just one day.
The organisation said some displaced Yemenis have started leaving the country altogether, with more than 2,000 people already arriving in Djibouti.
Years of conflict have killed hundreds of thousands of people in Yemen and left millions facing serious humanitarian challenges.
The latest escalation began after the Houthis allowed an Iranian aircraft to land in Yemen despite Saudi restrictions on the country’s airspace. Yemeni government forces responded by striking Sanaa airport, an attack the Houthis attributed to Saudi Arabia.
The renewed Yemen conflict is unfolding against the backdrop of a much wider Middle Eastern war that began with US and Israeli strikes against Iran in late February.
US news website Axios also reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman contacted US President Donald Trump twice last week to request military strikes against the Houthis. The report said the request was rejected.
The latest developments have raised fresh concerns that the renewed fighting in Yemen could further destabilise the Red Sea region, deepen the humanitarian crisis and draw the country more directly into the wider Middle East conflict.
