Ballistic missiles and drones launched by the Houthi group targeted three Saudi Arabian cities—Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Jazan—on Wednesday, prompting a swift condemnation from the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government. The coalition, via its spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki, stated on social media platform X that these attacks continued to strike the kingdom's national assets and infrastructure. Al-Maliki characterised the Houthis' actions as an extremist drive towards escalation and the deliberate targeting of Saudi civilians.
The coalition's Joint Forces Command affirmed its commitment to respond, safeguarding the kingdom's sovereignty, national assets, civilians, and civilian objects. These strikes occurred amidst a significant uptick in hostilities between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. Earlier on the same Wednesday, the Houthi group claimed dozens of "Saudi airstrikes" had hit areas under its control over the preceding 12 hours.
This cross-border aggression unfolds alongside an intensified conflict within Yemen itself, where government forces and Houthi fighters are clashing across multiple fronts, with the most severe engagements reported in the country's western regions. The renewed fighting threatens to dismantle a UN-brokered truce from April 2022, which had brought several years of relative calm to Yemen's primary frontlines.
United Nations officials voiced serious concern on Tuesday regarding the Houthi cross-border attacks against civilian and energy infrastructure in southern Saudi Arabia. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, also expressed deep worry over reports of civilian casualties from these attacks. The UN equally highlighted the escalating military clashes within Yemen, particularly the potential for civilian harm resulting from the intensified fighting.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, continues direct engagement with the warring parties, striving to contain the current escalation and maintain avenues for dialogue. The world body warned that continued military escalation risks devastating political, economic, and security ramifications for Yemen, urging constructive engagement with UN-led political efforts.
Humanitarian agencies also report the escalation in fighting is devastating communities already struggling after more than a decade of conflict. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed over 5,600 households displaced across Taiz and southern Al Hodeidah governorates since Thursday. In the last week alone, at least 11 civilian casualties have been reported, including two children killed and nine individuals injured.
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📰 Source: Mangalorean Gulf