Houthis Blame Saudi Arabia for Deadly Strikes as Thousands Flee Their Homes

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Tuesday accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out a series of deadly airstrikes that killed civilians and prison inmates, as Riyadh stepped up efforts to push back against an offensive by the Iran-backed group that has captured strategically important territory.

The Houthis' recent seizure of parts of Yemen's Red Sea coastline has reportedly left hundreds dead and raised fresh concerns about international trade and shipping through the strategically vital Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The offensive has also displaced thousands of people. The United Nations warned on Tuesday that the number of displaced people could rise from more than 130,000 currently to over 230,000 in the coming months.

The Houthi advances have strengthened Iran and its regional allies' influence over two crucial Middle Eastern waterways — the Bab al-Mandab and Strait of Hormuz — both major routes for global energy shipments.

Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen's internationally recognised government, has responded to the Houthi offensive with airstrikes. The Houthis, in turn, have launched attacks against Saudi territory, including a strike on Riyadh, marking their first reported attack on the Saudi capital in years.

The escalation came days after Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of targeting the holy city of Mecca, a claim the group denied.

In a rare statement, Saudi King Salman praised the country's armed forces and security services for protecting the kingdom and condemned the alleged attempt to target Mecca as "a provocation to Muslims around the world". He also described the Houthis as a "terrorist militia".

The Houthis said a Saudi strike on a prison killed nine detainees. They also accused Saudi forces of killing six civilians, including two children, in the Red Sea port city of Mocha.

Two additional civilians were reportedly killed in Saudi strikes in Yemen's Al-Jawf province, according to the Houthis.

"A mother and child were killed, while her husband and two of her other children were wounded in strikes carried out by the Saudi enemy" in the Al-Batin area, Houthi media reported, citing the group's health ministry.

'Humiliation'

The intensifying violence has forced thousands of families to flee their homes, with many being displaced for a second or third time.

"I hope I can find a house to live in with my children. We're exhausted by the heat, the dust and the humiliation," Arwa, a mother of four, told AFP at a displacement camp near Aden.

The wider Middle East conflict began in February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate with attacks across the region and mobilise allied groups.

Although Yemen's civil war began years before the wider regional conflict, it has emerged as one of its most active fronts in recent days.

Fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces over the past two days has killed 154 people, according to military sources from both sides cited by AFP.

Houthi military sources said 118 people had been killed in Saudi airstrikes, clashes and artillery fire across Taiz, Al-Jawf, Marib and Saada. Government sources, meanwhile, reported 36 deaths among their forces.

Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence agency on Tuesday issued a warning over possible threats in the country's southern regions near the Yemeni border. It was the first such alert since the Houthis launched their attack on Riyadh over the weekend.

The alert advised residents to stay indoors and avoid open areas before being lifted shortly afterward.

UK and France pledge support

G7 leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States called on the Houthis to "immediately cease all military actions".

They also urged the group to end "all threats and attacks against civilian shipping" and return to the political process, while calling on Iran to stop arming and supporting the Houthis.

Britain has agreed to provide limited military assistance to Saudi Arabia, Defence Minister Luke Pollard said. France has also pledged support to protect Saudi energy infrastructure, according to a diplomatic source cited by AFP.

The French source stressed that the assistance "in no way involves taking part in the conflict with the Houthis".

The Houthis have also carried out attacks against facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu. Yemen's government and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have reportedly sought assistance from US President Donald Trump in confronting the Houthi offensive.

Meanwhile, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in New York on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Iran's state news agency IRIB reported that Araghchi told Witkoff that Tehran's demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz included the "immediate lifting of the (US) naval blockade", the release of frozen Iranian assets and an end to the war across what Tehran describes as "all resistance fronts".