The Iran-aligned Houthi movement says it launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at military targets in Saudi Arabia's Jizan region near the Yemen border. A Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted six missiles headed for Taif and Yanbu; there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The strikes mark a fresh escalation after a largely frozen conflict following a 2022 truce and raise concerns about wider regional spillover.
Houthis Claim Strikes On Saudi Military Sites Near Yemen Border; Coalition Says Missiles Intercepted
FILE PHOTO - A Yemen's Houthi supporter brandishes a rifle during a demonstration against the United States and Israel in Sana'a. (is associated with: «Yemen's Houthis claim attack on Saudi facilities as conflict escalates») Osamah Yahya/dpa
The Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on Thursday it struck military installations inside Saudi Arabia, launching dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at targets in the Jizan region near the Yemen border.
Yehya Saree, the Houthi military spokesman, said the attacks targeted operations rooms, command-and-control centres, arms depots and missile launch pads. He described the operation as retaliation for alleged Saudi missile strikes from Jizan and for reported Saudi troop buildups along the frontier.
There was no immediate response from Saudi authorities. Earlier on Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen said it intercepted six ballistic missiles the group had fired toward the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu. The coalition gave no immediate figures for casualties or damage.
The Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks in recent weeks and have imposed a blockade on Saudi vessels, accusing Riyadh of besieging areas the militia controls in Yemen. The group has fought Yemen's Saudi-backed government for more than a decade. A 2022 truce largely froze active hostilities but left the conflict unresolved; fighting has flared again amid wider regional tensions linked to Iran.
Context And Implications
The renewed exchanges underscore the conflict's potential to spill beyond Yemen's borders and to disrupt maritime traffic in the Red Sea and nearby shipping lanes. Independent verification of battlefield claims is limited; most information comes from statements by the parties involved, and the situation remains fluid.
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