Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement exchanged accusations of attacks on Tuesday amid escalating fighting that has displaced tens of thousands of people and intensified an already fragile regional conflict. The latest hostilities come days after the Iran-backed Houthis seized strategic areas along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the port city of Mokha and Perim Island near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
A spokesman for the Saudi military, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, reported that the Houthis had targeted several Saudi cities using ballistic missiles and drones, wounding 13 civilians. These cities include Khamis Mushait, Abha, Taif, Jeddah, and Mecca, with the Saudi Civil Defense issuing multiple emergency air-raid alerts across the western provinces of the kingdom. The Saudi-led coalition confirmed damage to residential properties and vehicles as a result of the attacks.
The Houthis, who control Yemen’s capital Sanaa and much of the north, acknowledged conducting a “large-scale” assault employing dozens of ballistic missiles and drones against the Saudi airbase at Khamis Mushait. A local resident described intense explosions and prolonged fires from the strike. Houthi officials asserted that their attacks respond to Saudi military aggression and vowed continued escalation as long as the coalition persists.
On the other side, the Houthi-run Health Ministry in Sanaa reported Saudi airstrikes in Yemen’s Taiz Province that killed three civilians, including two children. Saudi authorities have not publicly responded to this claim.
The recent Houthi advances along the Red Sea threaten Saudi Arabia’s vital maritime routes and energy infrastructure. Control of Perim Island and the Bab al-Mandab Strait gives the Houthis a strategic position to disrupt shipping lanes that are crucial for Saudi oil exports, especially after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran earlier in the broader regional conflict. The Houthis have declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and claimed attacks on Saudi vessels and oil facilities. Saudi Arabia was forced to shut down its East-West oil pipeline last week following a drone attack it attributed to forces operating from Iraq with alleged Iranian backing, though Iran has denied involvement.
The Saudi government has pledged a firm response to Houthi attacks to defend its sovereignty and issued numerous retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas. Despite this, the Saudi-led coalition has struggled to halt the Houthi offensive on the ground, contributing to a humanitarian crisis in Yemen. The United Nations reports that renewed clashes in recent weeks have displaced over 90,000 people this month alone.
Diplomatically, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Egypt to meet President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, focusing on bilateral relations and regional developments. Meanwhile, Iran’s minister of science attended a conference in Riyadh, underscoring ongoing diplomatic engagement despite tensions. The restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran last year has not prevented continued proxy hostilities, with Tehran consistently denying direct involvement in Yemen’s fighting. Iran’s top security official reiterated that negotiations with the U.S. will proceed only if Tehran’s conditions—including the lifting of sanctions—are met. A Gulf-Iran meeting aimed at discussing the Strait of Hormuz was postponed, with Tehran accusing Riyadh of using Yemen as a pretext to delay talks.
Meanwhile, the United States has signaled mixed engagement in the conflict. President Donald Trump recently said he was open to talks with Iran, even as he previously declined Saudi requests for direct U.S. military intervention against the Houthis. The U.S. is expected to fill its ambassador post in Saudi Arabia after a long vacancy. As the Yemen civil war continues, regional tensions remain embedded within a broader geopolitical struggle involving Iran, Saudi Arabia, and their allies.