Houthis Report More Than 30 Saudi Strikes Across Yemen
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said Saudi Arabia carried out 32 airstrikes across four provinces, a day after Houthi attacks injured dozens of people and disrupted oil operations in the kingdom.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis reported more than 30 Saudi airstrikes across several parts of Yemen on Wednesday, a day after the rebels launched major attacks on Saudi Arabia that authorities said injured dozens of people and temporarily shut down oil facilities.
“Saudi enemy aircraft launched 32 airstrikes on various areas across the governorates of Marib, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Hodeida over the past few hours,” the rebels’ Almasirah television reported.
There was no immediate official comment from Saudi Arabia on the Houthi report.
Saudi authorities had previously said that Houthi attacks early Tuesday caused temporary shutdowns at oil sites and injured 73 people. The Houthis subsequently reported Saudi airstrikes in response to the attacks.
Deadly fighting reignited in Yemen last week after the Houthis launched a major campaign to seize territory near the Bab al-Mandab strait.
The waterway has become increasingly important for Saudi oil shipments since Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, choking Gulf exports.
The latest fighting in Yemen has killed more than 500 people, mostly combatants from both sides, according to an AFP tally based on sources from each camp.
The Houthis have been increasing pressure on Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, for weeks.
They have repeatedly attacked Saudi oil infrastructure and tankers since July, when a 2022 truce between the two sides unraveled.
The rebels also declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began attacking Saudi ships, further squeezing the kingdom’s exports, which were already affected by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis triggered the return to hostilities in Yemen’s civil war in July when they allowed an Iranian plane to land in defiance of Saudi control of Yemeni airspace.
The Yemeni government responded by striking the airport, an attack the Houthis blamed on their Saudi backer.
The latest Saudi strikes reported by the Houthis mark another escalation in the renewed fighting, with attacks now reported across Marib, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Hodeida.