Yemen’s Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of launching 64 airstrikes in 24 hours, intensifying clashes around Taiz, Hodeidah, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as regional tensions escalate over cross-border attacks and humanitarian crises.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed group, claimed Saudi Arabia conducted 64 airstrikes across Yemen in 24 hours, targeting Taiz, Hodeidah, Marib, and Al-Jawf, according to a report from moneycontrol.com. This follows earlier assertions by the group that Saudi forces carried out 54 strikes in 12 hours, with fighting intensifying after a Houthi offensive toward the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical maritime route for Saudi oil exports.
The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, stated that Saudi aircraft, including F-15 and Typhoon jets, were launched from the King Fahd base in Taif and the King Khalid base in Khamis Mushait, according to Source 1. The group also accused Saudi Arabia of launching 10 strikes on the Dhubab district in western Taiz after seizing the key Red Sea port city of Mocha, as reported in Source 1. Houthis said the strikes targeted Taiz, Hodeidah, Marib, and Al-Jawf, a day after claiming 54 Saudi strikes in 12 hours.
Conflicting Strike Numbers and Regional Escalation
These discrepancies highlight the challenges of verifying cross-border violence, as both sides exchange accusations of aerial and missile attacks.
Houthis claim Saudi Arabia launched 64 strikes on Yemen
Saudi-led coalition forces have responded by launching counterattacks, including strikes on Houthi positions in Al-Jawf and Taiz. Saudi civil defense authorities issued alerts for Khamis Mushait and Abha, though no casualties were reported from these incidents, according to Source 4.
International Reactions and Humanitarian Concerns
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the Houthis’ attacks on Saudi Arabia, citing civilian casualties and damage to energy infrastructure. In a statement, the UNSC demanded an “immediate halt” to the group’s operations, expressing concern over 125,000 displaced people in Yemen since September. The body also emphasized Saudi Arabia’s right to self-defense under international law, as reported in Source 2.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called Houthi attacks unacceptable and sabotage the global economy, urging diplomatic efforts to restore maritime security. Meanwhile, Pakistan warned that Houthi attacks spilling into Saudi Arabia could trigger the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a pact signed with Saudi Arabia and Türkiye to address regional threats, according to Source 2.
The humanitarian toll remains severe. The International Organization for Migration noted that more than 2,000 people had fled Yemen for Djibouti, as fighting displaced 86,000 in recent weeks. The conflict, which began in 2014, has killed hundreds of thousands and triggered a major crisis, with the UN-brokered 2022 truce now unraveling, as stated in Source 4.
Cross-Border Tensions and Geopolitical Implications
The renewed violence has drawn in global powers, with the U.S. engaging Houthi representatives in Muscat to address concerns over shipping in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The Houthis reportedly assured Washington that vessels not linked to Saudi Arabia would not be targeted. However, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince reportedly urged U.S. President Donald Trump to strike the Houthis, though the request was denied, according to Source 4.
Regional dynamics are further complicated by the broader Middle East conflict, with Yemen becoming a proxy battleground. The Houthis’ control of the Red Sea coast, including Mocha, has given them leverage over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital corridor for global trade. The U.S. and EU have increased naval presence in the area, with the EU’s Operation Aspides raising its alert level amid the crisis, as reported in Source 4.
What’s Next?
The conflict’s trajectory hinges on whether the UNSC’s calls for an immediate halt will be heeded or if fighting escalates further. The Houthis’ advances and Saudi countermeasures risk plunging the region into deeper instability, with potential spillover effects on global trade and regional alliances. Humanitarian organizations warn of a worsening crisis, as displaced families face dire conditions amid ongoing violence, according to Source 4.
Houthis say Saudi Arabia launched over 50 strikes against
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have said Saudi Arabia carried out 26 attacks against areas under the group’s control in the past 24 hours, as the two sides continue trading fire amid an escalating war in Yemen, according to the AFP news agency. On Friday, the group claimed Saudi attacks on Houthi-held territory had reached 300 over the past week alone, hitting positions across the areas it controls, AFP reported. Yemen’s government, backed by Saudi Arabia, said on Friday its forces had killed 30 Houthi rebels and wounded more than 60 in clashes in the al-Waziiyah district of Taiz province, one of several fronts where combat has picked up this week, according to Source 2.
Tens of thousands marched through Sanaa on Friday in a show of support for the Iran-backed Houthis and against Saudi Arabia, as the rebels press gains that have brought large stretches of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, under their control. Earlier this week, the intensifying attacks between the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels killed at least five people, including three children, according to reports from both sides. Saudi Arabia said one person was killed in the Taif governorate after a Houthi drone was intercepted, while Houthi-linked media reported deaths from Saudi attacks in Taiz and the town of Abs, as detailed in Source 2.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the Houthis’ continuing attacks on Saudi Arabia, saying they had caused civilian casualties, including women and children, and damaged energy infrastructure. In a statement released on Friday, UNSC members said: “The military escalation being carried out by the Houthis in Yemen, their continued attacks on Saudi Arabia, and the attacks and threats to international shipping in the Red Sea, along with the Houthis’ advance near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, are all factors that threaten to widen th” (the statement is cut off in the source material).
Yemen’s Houthis said Sunday that Saudi Arabia had launched more than 50 strikes against their positions in 24 hours, after the Iran-backed group claimed a rare drone and missile attack on a military base in the kingdom. The Houthis have been engaged in renewed fighting with Saudi-backed government forces since Yemen’s civil war reignited in July, when the group declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea. The latest clashes follow a week-long Houthi offensive that culminated in the group capturing Yemen’s Red Sea coast, cementing their hold on the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The waterway is a vital artery for Saudi oil exports as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed amid the US-Iran war, according to Source 4.
Yayha Saree, the group’s military spokesman, said the criminal Saudi enemy has carried out 58 airstrikes in the past 24 hours
in a post on Telegram. The Houthis carried out their heaviest missile and drone attack in years this week against Saudi Arabia, setting oil sites ablaze and wounding 73. The group’s Almasirah TV channel reported on Sunday that Saudi aviation carried out two strikes
on Saada, a stronghold for the group. It also reported artillery fire in the border district of Monabbih, in the same province. Later on Sunday, Almasirah reported two Saudi strikes on a market in the northern Al-Jawf province. The Houthis have reported more than 100 strikes against their positions since Tuesday, with no confirmation from Riyadh so far, as stated in Source 4.
Up to now, the strikes have mainly focused on the front lines, in support of Yemeni government forces, without targeting the Houthis’ heart of power, including the capital Sanaa. Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital and forced out the internationally recognised government. They then fought a Saudi-led coalition from 2015 until a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022. The conflict had since been dormant before it roared back to life in July, according to Source 4.