Breaking: Saudi Arabia Announces Next Action as Houthi Rebels Strike Civilian Sites
- Saudi Arabia said Houthi rebels struck civilian and energy sites across four provinces, leaving at least 73 people wounded
- The Saudi-led coalition's spokesman called the attacks a 'dangerous escalation' and warned of military countermeasures
- The Houthis said their strikes targeted Saudi Arabia in response to over 120 coalition air raids on Yemen in three days
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Saudi Arabia has accused Yemen's Houthi rebels of striking civilian and economic targets across four of its southern provinces, wounding at least 73 people, among them women and children.
Major-General Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, said in a statement that the Houthi attacks hit sites in the provinces of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jizan and Najran.
Source: UGC
He did not specify the exact dates of the strikes. Al-Maliki called the attacks a "dangerous escalation" and a "blatant violation" of Saudi sovereignty, adding that the coalition would take "all necessary operational measures" to confront the threat.
The Saudi Ministry of Energy confirmed in a separate statement that energy facilities and installations in southern Saudi Arabia were struck early on Tuesday, September 8, causing fires at several locations, wounding a number of citizens and residents, and forcing a temporary shutdown of some operations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement demanding the Houthis stop their attacks and pledging that Riyadh would "take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty."
Houthis claim retaliation for Saudi Air raids
The Houthi military responded later the same day, with spokesman Yahya Saree saying their forces "carried out a large-scale, long-range military operation … using dozens of ballistic missiles and drones."
The group said the strikes were in direct response to more than 120 Saudi air raids on Yemen over the previous three days.
The Houthis also accused Saudi Arabia of bombing a prison in al-Hazm, in the northern al-Jawf governorate, killing at least seven people, a claim Riyadh has not addressed.
Russia also weighed in on the crisis. During talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia were counterproductive and damaging to the global economy, adding that resolving the conflict through military means was unacceptable.
Conflict background
Yemen's war began after the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014, drawing Saudi Arabia into a military intervention the following year.
A United Nations-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted the fighting, but hostilities resumed after the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February.
Tensions escalated further in July when the Houthis fired missiles and drones at Abha international airport and announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, followed by attacks on Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea.
On Thursday, September 3, the Houthis launched a ground offensive pushing through western Taiz and southern Hodeidah towards the port city of al-Makha along the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Fighting has since spread to al-Dhalea, Marib, al-Jawf and al-Bayda. The World Health Organization reported that around 1,078 people have been killed or wounded since August 24, with more than 21,000 displaced since Thursday's offensive began.
Iran moves to change Hormuz shipping corridor
Previously, Legit.ng reported that Iran warned the United States that American oil and gas facilities in the Gulf region will face retaliation if Washington launches further strikes on Iranian assets, escalating an already volatile confrontation between the two countries.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf issued the warning on Monday, saying the energy production infrastructure across the region was "sprawling, accessible, and exposed" and that US oil and gas companies operating around those waters and facilities were equally at risk.
Source: Legit.ng
