Saudi Arabia vows to respond after Houthis attack cities and energy facilities

Saudi Arabia reported that Yemen’s Iran‑backed Houthi movement launched a coordinated strike on Tuesday, deploying dozens of drones and missiles against four southwestern Saudi cities—Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran. The attacks ignited fires at multiple oil facilities and energy installations, forcing a temporary suspension of operations and injuring 73 people, including women and children. Saudi military spokesperson Maj Gen. Turki al‑Maliki condemned the assaults as a “dangerous escalation” by a “terrorist militia” and vowed that the Saudi‑led coalition would take “all necessary operational measures to deter” the group.

The Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea framed the barrage as retaliation for what he described as “brutal aggression” by Saudi forces, which he said had carried out more than 120 air strikes across Yemen’s Marib, al‑Bayda, Hudaydah, Taiz and Jawf provinces in the preceding three days. The Houthis also cited a recent Saudi bombing of a prison in al‑Hazm that killed at least 11 inmates and left twenty missing. This exchange of attacks follows a broader deterioration of a four‑year‑old informal ceasefire that began unraveling in July, when the Houthis imposed a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia and escalated missile and drone strikes on Saudi ports, airports and Red Sea oil tankers.

The renewed violence threatens to widen the regional conflict and disrupt global energy markets. The Red Sea, now a critical conduit for Saudi oil shipments amid the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, faces heightened risk from Houthi offensives aimed at the Bab al‑Mandab Strait. Ongoing fighting on Yemen’s southwestern coast has already claimed over 300 lives and displaced 18,500 people, underscoring the humanitarian toll as both sides intensify military operations.

⚡ Effects Interpreter