Houthis Say Saudi Jets Carry Out 40 Airstrikes in Yemen
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement on social media that Saudi F-15 fighter jets, which he said took off from Khamis Mushait Airbase, carried out the strikes in the provinces of Taiz, Marib, and Hodeidah.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabian warplanes carried out 40 airstrikes over the past 24 hours against targets in western Yemen, as fighting between the group and Saudi-backed forces intensifies.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a statement on social media that Saudi F-15 fighter jets, which he said took off from Khamis Mushait Airbase, carried out the strikes in the provinces of Taiz, Marib, and Hodeidah.
The claim has not been independently verified, and Saudi authorities have not immediately confirmed the reported number of strikes.
The latest escalation follows a series of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory. Saudi authorities said the attacks injured 13 people in the southern cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif.
On Tuesday evening, Saudi air defenses also intercepted and destroyed a drone south of Mecca before it entered the restricted airspace over the holy city, according to Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki. He described the incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca, following a ballistic missile launch in 2017.
Al-Maliki said the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims was a “red line” and warned that the coalition would take measures to deter further attacks. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca, with senior political official Hazem al-Assad rejecting the Saudi allegation.
The renewed fighting marks a sharp escalation after years of relative calm in Yemen. The Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and large parts of northern Yemen in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
The latest escalation is also affecting strategic areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including territory near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a major maritime route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The developments have raised concerns over shipping and energy flows amid wider disruptions to regional waterways.
The confrontation has also taken on a sensitive religious dimension following the reported drone interception near Mecca, home to the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba, Islam’s holiest site.