Thirteen civilians were wounded after Yemen’s Houthis launched missile and drone attacks at Saudi Arabia, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to vow a “firm” response. The group said it targeted King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait and other military installations. (Image: AFP)
The Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said on Tuesday that Houthi attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif caused minor to moderate injuries, damaged seven homes and struck two vehicles.
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“The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will deal with these attacks responsibly and firmly to protect the sovereignty of the kingdom,” said coalition spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said hostilities in Yemen had displaced at least 18,000 households, or about 125,000 people, since the beginning of the month.
In a statement, the UN said the fighting was forcing civilians from their homes, increasing casualties and placing further strain on humanitarian operations already facing severe pressure.
Late on Monday, the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, or “supporters of God”, claimed Saudi Arabia had carried out 54 air raids over the previous 24 hours in the governorates of Lahj, Taiz, al-Jawf, Marib and Hajjah.
The group said Saudi aircraft had struck a government complex in Taiz governorate’s Khadir district, causing injuries.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets based at Saudi airfields in Khamis Mushait and Taif had taken part in the raids, and he threatened a response.
Houthi-aligned media said three civilians, including two children, were killed and at least two others wounded in Saudi strikes on the Dhubab and Maqbanah districts of Taiz province.
Saudi Arabia has not publicly addressed the Houthi allegations, and its Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.
The latest attacks followed the Iran-aligned group’s claim that it had launched dozens of missiles and drones at King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait. The Houthis said they targeted hangars, radar systems, runways and ammunition depots in retaliation for Saudi air raids in Yemen.
In a statement on Monday, the Houthis said Saudi warplanes had conducted 300 air raids across Yemen during the preceding five days.
The aerial exchanges came after the Houthis made rapid territorial gains in western Yemen last week, seizing much of the country’s Red Sea coastline and moving towards areas near the Bab al-Mandeb strait.
The strait is a key route for energy and commercial shipping in the region, particularly as the US-Iran war has caused major disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
Forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government said on Monday that they had advanced in the contested Taiz province after recapturing positions from the Houthis. They also said they had hit Houthi fighters and equipment in Dhubab and al-Khokha on the Red Sea coast.
Al Jazeera could not independently verify the battlefield claims.
Houthi and Yemeni government officials said on Monday that the group had taken control of the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands in the southern Red Sea, about 160km (100 miles) north of Bab al-Mandeb. The Houthis have also recently advanced onto Mayyun Island, at the entrance to the Red Sea.
Yemen’s more than decade-long war reignited in July after the Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia and began attacking ships in the Red Sea. The escalation threatened a 2022 United Nations-brokered ceasefire that had brought an end to large-scale violence.
