Saudi Warplanes Pound Advancing Houthis, Yemeni Capital

Officials say missile workshops destroyed

Reports of the Shi’ite Houthis reversing the situation in northern Yemen and advancing again on Maarib were met with another round of Saudi counterattacks, which as always came with heavy airstrikes.

After Friday’s fighting, and Houthi attacks on a Saudi oil refinery, the Saudis pounded not just the Houthi fighters, but also the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The strikes targeted a missile workshop, which Saudi state media claimed was destroyed.

Houthi media reported that other sites were also hit in the capital, including the airport and energy infrastructure sites. This is common when Saudi warplanes are attacking, as care to target only military targets is often lacking, particularly in this war.

There is as yet no word of the Saudi strikes reversing the offensive in Maarib, nor specific tolls in the attacks on Sanaa. This likely means more airstrikes will be coming in the days to come, and the Houthis will likely carry out more drone and missile attacks on their own.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.