SRINAGAR: Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed a fresh wave of missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, as the Saudi-backed Yemeni government vowed to retake territory lost in the rebels’ rapid advance along the Red Sea coast.
The overnight attacks came amid growing alarm over the Houthis’ capture of the key port city of Mokha and an island near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital global shipping route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The developments have raised concerns among markets and Yemeni civilians, who fear the latest escalation could reignite a devastating civil war and threaten a fragile 2022 ceasefire.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig Gen Yahya Saree said in a statement that the rebels had targeted a military base in Sharurah province in Saudi Arabia’s Najran region. He provided no evidence and did not specify when the alleged attack took place.
Saudi civil defence authorities, meanwhile, said a projectile fell in Al-Tawwal governorate near the Yemeni border along the Red Sea, injuring two people and damaging a mosque and several other buildings. Saudi authorities blamed the Houthis for the incident.
Sirens were also activated in Sharurah province, although no casualties or damage were reported there, according to Saudi civil defence.
There was no immediate Saudi statement on Sunday regarding any new attacks against Houthi positions.
The Houthis have recently targeted Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping as part of what they have described as a blockade. Although the rebels have said other commercial shipping is not under threat, the escalation has unsettled markets, with oil prices rising again.
Yemeni government vows counteroffensive
A senior official in Yemen’s internationally recognised government has vowed that government forces will return to the Red Sea coast and fight back against the Houthis.
Sultan al-Arada, a member of Yemen’s ruling Presidential Council and governor of the central Marib province, described the collapse of government forces in Mokha and other areas along the western coast as “painful and regrettable”.
Speaking in a televised interview aired late Saturday, al-Arada said government forces were regrouping and would return to the battlefield “in one form or another”.
The remarks came after civilians fleeing the Houthi advance told The Associated Press that they had witnessed government forces withdrawing and urging residents to flee.
A senior military official from Yemen’s internationally recognised government had earlier blamed a lack of coordination between the army and several allied militias for the rapid Houthi gains.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to address the media, said the coordination failure had handed the Houthis “a priceless opportunity”.
He also said government forces were stunned that the Saudi air force did not intervene to prevent the fall of Mokha, located about 80 kilometres from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Houthis’ swift advance represents a major setback for both Yemen’s internationally recognised government and Saudi Arabia, which has backed the government in its 12-year conflict with the rebels.
The latest developments have also raised fears that the escalation could unravel the 2022 ceasefire and trigger a renewed phase of Yemen’s long-running war.
The Houthi advance has additionally brought the Iran-backed group to within about 32 kilometres of the US military base in Djibouti, located across the Bab el-Mandeb.
The base is the main US military installation in Africa and is among several foreign military facilities in Djibouti, which also hosts bases operated by China, France and Japan.
Meanwhile, Djibouti is dealing with an influx of Yemenis attempting the perilous crossing of the strait. More than 2,000 people have reached the country, the International Organisation for Migration said on Sunday.
Djibouti’s Economy and Finance Minister Ilyas M. Dawaleh said on X that the country’s navy, coast guard and other specialised agencies were carrying out rescue operations and providing emergency assistance to those arriving.
