At least 73 civilians, including women and children, sustained injuries after Houthi attacks struck southern Saudi Arabia, according to figures released by the Saudi-led coalition. The strikes hit civilian and economic sites across four cities, prompting Riyadh to signal it would respond forcefully.
The affected locations included Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran. Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki addressed the incident on Tuesday, calling the assaults “senseless attacks” directed at civilian and economic infrastructure in the four southern cities. He did not disclose the exact timing of the strikes.
Saudi-Led Coalition Vows Strong Response
Al-Maliki characterized the strikes as a “dangerous escalation” and a “blatant violation” of Saudi sovereignty, warning that they endangered the safety of both citizens and residents across the kingdom. He accused the Houthis of acting aggressively and irresponsibly, asserting that the group’s intent was to damage national assets alongside civilian and economic facilities.
The spokesperson further argued that such actions threaten ongoing efforts to bring peace and stability to Yemen and its neighboring countries. He confirmed that the coalition’s Joint Forces Command would pursue “all necessary operational measures” to deter additional attacks and counter what he termed the group’s hostile conduct, adding that every possible step would be taken to neutralize the threat at its source.
On the Houthi side, politburo member Nasr al-Din Amer addressed the situation via Telegram, stating that the group’s ongoing response extended well beyond what had circulated on social media. He maintained that the retaliation was continuing at a level deeper than what had been publicly reported.
This is not the first instance of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, though the current strikes arrive during a broader escalation across Yemen. The coalition’s latest statement follows a sharp intensification of fighting between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed Yemeni government troops in multiple provinces, stirring fears of a wider breakdown in a conflict that had seen relative calm in recent years along the Saudi-Yemeni border.
Riyadh had largely stayed out of direct confrontation with the Houthis throughout the broader US-Iran conflict. That changed in July, when Houthi missile attacks on the kingdom brought an end to a four-year de facto ceasefire between the two sides.
Houthis Level Counter-Accusation Against Saudi Arabia
Alongside the coalition’s statement, the Houthis leveled their own accusation against Riyadh, claiming Saudi forces carried out an air strike on a detention facility in al-Hazm, located in Yemen’s al-Jawf province. According to the group, the strike killed seven people, including a child, and left at least seven others wounded. Saudi Arabia had not issued a response to this claim at the time of reporting.
Taken together, these developments represent another marked escalation in Yemen’s long-running conflict. Cross-border attacks, intensifying ground fighting, and competing claims between the two sides continue to cast doubt over prospects for lasting peace in Yemen and the broader region.