Saudi Arabia vows a “firm” response to Houthi attacks

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday warned that it would respond “firmly” to attacks by Yemen’s Houthis after a series of missile and drone strikes wounded 13 civilians in the kingdom’s southern regions.

The Iran-aligned rebels have resumed fighting with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces since the civil war intensified in July. The Houthis have also declared a maritime blockade against Riyadh and begun targeting ships in the Red Sea.

The group last week seized control of parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategically important waterway that has gained further significance as the wider US-Iran conflict disrupts shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis have also attacked Saudi oil infrastructure, raising concerns in global energy markets and pushing crude prices above $100 a barrel.

A Houthi attack in western Yemen on Monday killed eight government soldiers, according to two military sources.

The Houthis claimed they had launched a new “large-scale” assault involving dozens of ballistic missiles and drones targeting the King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, southern Saudi Arabia.

A resident of Khamis Mushait told AFP that he heard “intense blasts” and saw fires burning for an extended period, adding that residents were unable to sleep.

The Saudi-led coalition confirmed Tuesday that missile and drone attacks had targeted Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif the previous day, leaving 13 people wounded.

The Houthis said Saudi Arabia responded with more than 50 strikes, similar to the previous day’s attacks. The coalition vowed to act “firmly” to defend the kingdom’s sovereignty and said it would take “all necessary operational measures” to deter what it called a hostile and extremist approach.

Hazem al-Assad, a member of the Houthi politburo, warned that Yemen’s response would continue and intensify as long as Saudi Arabia continued what the group described as aggression against the Yemeni people.

Early Tuesday, Saudi civil defence authorities issued air-raid alerts across six regions before later lifting them.

The renewed escalation in Yemen comes amid a wider regional conflict that remains deadlocked. US President Donald Trump said Monday that Washington was open to talks with Iran, while Iran’s top security official Mohsen Rezaei said negotiations would not take place until Tehran’s conditions were met.

A planned meeting between Gulf states and Iran on the future of the Strait of Hormuz was also postponed Monday, with Tehran accusing Riyadh of using the Yemen conflict as a justification for delaying the talks.

Iran has long supported the Houthis, who are part of its broader regional “axis of resistance”, including through weapons and technological assistance. However, analysts remain divided over the extent of Tehran’s influence over the group’s renewed military campaign.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei denied direct interference, saying the Houthis were independent actors who made decisions based on their own interests.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was also expected to meet Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Tuesday, according to Cairo.

Meanwhile, Yemeni government forces said Sunday that they had recaptured positions from Houthi fighters in the southwestern province of Taiz and conducted airstrikes that killed at least 10 militants, according to the official Saba news agency.

The Saudi crown prince also met US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper in Jeddah on Monday to discuss the latest regional developments. Cooper had travelled to Saudi Arabia for urgent coordination meetings, according to US media reports.

The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014, forcing the internationally recognised government to relocate to Aden. The following year, Saudi Arabia formed a coalition to support the government and launched an extensive air campaign, deepening a conflict that became one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The UN migration agency said Monday that renewed fighting had forced 93,864 people to flee their homes.