Saudi Arabia Vows ‘Firm’ Response After Houthi Attacks Wound 13
Saudi Arabia has vowed to respond “firmly” to renewed attacks by Yemen’s Houthi fighters after missile and drone strikes wounded 13 civilians and damaged homes and vehicles in parts of the kingdom. The Riyadh-led coalition said attacks targeted areas including Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif, with seven houses and two vehicles reportedly damaged. The Houthis claimed responsibility for a large-scale assault involving what they described as dozens of ballistic missiles and drones, including an attack on King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait. Saudi civil defence authorities issued air-raid alerts across six regions in the early hours of Tuesday before lifting them. The coalition said it would take all necessary operational measures to protect the kingdom’s sovereignty and deter what it described as a hostile and extremist approach. The Houthis, meanwhile, claimed Saudi Arabia carried out more than 50 strikes in response. Houthi political bureau member Hazem al-Assad said the group’s attacks would continue and escalate as long as Saudi Arabia maintained what the Houthis described as aggression against Yemen.
The latest escalation comes as fighting has intensified in Yemen amid a wider regional conflict involving Iran, the United States and several Middle Eastern countries. The Houthis have also targeted Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping routes in the Red Sea, while the group’s activities around the Bab al-Mandab Strait have heightened concerns over regional trade and energy supplies. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was expected to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as Riyadh seeks to navigate the wider regional crisis. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said he remains open to talks with Iran, although Tehran has insisted that negotiations would require conditions including war reparations and the lifting of sanctions. Iran has long supported the Houthis but denies directing their current military actions, describing the group as an independent actor. The renewed conflict in Yemen has also deepened humanitarian concerns, with the UN migration agency reporting that nearly 94,000 people had been displaced by the latest fighting.
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