Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, launched major missile and drone attacks targeting mainly energy sites across southwestern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, setting oil facilities on fire and injuring dozens of people, as the war between the two sides continues to escalate.
Ansar Allah military spokesman said the attack came after Saudi Arabia launched 121 airstrikes from its airbases, including a strike that hit a prison in Yemen’s northern al-Jawf province. According to the latest toll from the Health Ministry of the Ansar Allah-led government, 17 people were killed, including a child, and seven others, including a woman, were injured.
Saree said that Ansar Allah responded by “targeting Aramco facilities in Abha, Najran, the Economic City, and Jizan, as well as Khamis Mushait Air Base, with dozens of ballistic missiles and drones.”
Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said Houthi attacks hit “civilian and economic sites” in the Saudi cities of Abha, Jazan, Najran, and Khamis Mushait, resulting in the injury of 73 civilians, including women and children. Riyadh hasn’t acknowledged its strikes on Yemen that were launched on Monday, but is now saying it will respond to the Ansar Allah attacks.
Saudi Arabia reignited the war in Yemen by launching airstrikes on the Sanaa International Airport to enforce its long-standing blockade on Ansar Allah-controlled Yemen, which is where most Yemenis live. The blockade was eased as part of a 2022 ceasefire deal but was never fully lifted.
The strikes on the Sanaa airport, which were reportedly approved by President Trump, were launched to prevent the landing of a plane that had taken off from Iran and was carrying a delegation of Yemeni officials who attended the funeral of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. US and Saudi officials also alleged the plane was carrying weapons and IRGC advisors.
In response to the strikes, Ansar Allah declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea ports and launched some attacks against Saudi oil infrastructure. There have also been major clashes between Ansar Allah and Saudi-backed government forces on the ground, which have killed over 300 people since Thursday, according to a recent report from AFP.
