Houthis Claim Attacks on Saudi Targets Amid Offensive

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis claimed successive missile and drone attacks on Saudi targets, including Riyadh’s King Khalid airport, Aramco facilities and sites in southern Saudi Arabia; the claims and reported damage have not been independently confirmed. An AFP journalist reported seeing flames and smoke near an Aramco facility, while Saudi authorities and Aramco did not confirm a strike. Saudi air defenses intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile aimed toward Khamis Mushait, and falling debris caused limited damage to buildings and vehicles, with no casualties reported. Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Saudi-led coalition called the Houthi claims misleading, and government forces reported retaliatory strikes on Houthi-controlled areas, including Sanaa and Saada; the coalition also accused the Houthis of targeting a power station serving Medina’s Prophet’s Mosque, which the Houthis denied. The attacks came amid an intensifying Saudi-backed government offensive and Houthi advances around Taiz, including a reported cutoff of a key supply road, as President Rashad al-Alimi vowed to retake territory held by the group. Fighting near the Red Sea coast and Bab el-Mandeb has raised regional security and shipping concerns, while Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye reportedly agreed to advance collective-defence measures.