Houthis Launch New Missile and Drone Attacks on Saudi Arabia
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RIYADH (Terror Monitor) — Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen launched new missile and drone attacks against military targets in Saudi Arabia on Monday, while Iran rejected accusations that it was directly intervening in Yemen’s renewed civil war.
The Houthis said they launched dozens of missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia. Following the attacks, Saudi Civil Defense issued brief security alerts in the southern cities of Khamis Mushait and Abha.
A resident of Khamis Mushait told AFP that he heard powerful explosions and saw fires burning at some locations for an extended period.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the attacks targeted King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, including fighter jet hangars, radar systems, runways and ammunition depots. The Houthis said the operation was carried out in response to Saudi airstrikes in Yemen.
Saree also said Saudi Arabia had carried out more than 300 airstrikes against various areas of Yemen over the previous five days.
The latest escalation comes after the Houthis strengthened their control last week along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. With Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz disrupting regional maritime routes, Bab el-Mandeb has become increasingly important for Saudi oil exports. The Houthis have also announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia.
Iran has provided the Houthis with various forms of support, including weapons and technology, for years. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that Tehran does not interfere in Yemen’s affairs and that the Houthis make independent decisions based on their own interests.
Yemen’s civil war, which had remained relatively inactive for nearly four years, began intensifying again in July. The conflict is now increasingly becoming intertwined with the broader regional war between the United States and Iran.
Yemeni government forces said Sunday that they had recaptured several areas from the Houthis in the southwestern province of Taiz. According to the state-run Saba news agency, airstrikes in the area killed at least 10 Houthi fighters.
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