Houthis Say Saudi Arabia Launched 58 Airstrikes in 24 Hours as Yemen Conflict Escalates

The Houthi movement in Yemen said on Sunday that Saudi Arabia had carried out 58 airstrikes on its positions in the past 24 hours, as fighting intensifies in the country's civil war. The claim could not be independently verified.

Yahya Saree, the group's military spokesman, said in a post on Telegram that "the criminal Saudi enemy has carried out 58 airstrikes in the past 24 hours." The Houthis have reported more than 100 strikes since Tuesday. There has been no confirmation from Riyadh.

The Houthis, who are backed by Iran, have been fighting Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces since the conflict reignited in July. The group declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea.

Last week, the Houthis captured Yemen's Red Sea coast, strengthening their control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The waterway is a vital artery for Saudi oil exports, especially as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed amid the US-Iran war. The strait connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is a strategic chokepoint for global shipping.

This week, the Houthis launched their heaviest missile and drone attack in years on Saudi Arabia, setting oil sites ablaze and wounding 73 people, according to the group. The Houthis said they targeted the Sharurah military base in southern Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles, aiming at "weapons depots and command and control centres that are managing the aggression against our nation and people."

Saudi authorities rarely comment on Houthi attacks but issue brief alerts almost daily warning of potential strikes in southern regions near Yemen. On Sunday, the Saudi civil defence agency issued and quickly lifted alerts for the city of Abha and the area around Khamis Mushait. Late on Saturday, the agency said two people were injured after a projectile fired by the Houthis fell in the Jizan region.

The Houthi-run Almasirah TV reported on Sunday that Saudi aviation carried out two strikes on Saada, a Houthi stronghold, and two strikes on a market in the northern Al-Jawf province. It also reported artillery fire in the border district of Monabbih. So far, the strikes have mainly focused on front lines in support of Yemeni government forces, without targeting the Houthis' power centres, including the capital Sanaa.

The renewed fighting has displaced nearly 86,000 people in recent weeks, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with the number rising by 10,000 from a day earlier. The IOM added that more than 2,000 people have fled to Djibouti. The UN has described Yemen as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with millions in need of aid.

Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital and forced out the internationally recognised government, which is now based in Aden. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015, and the conflict continued until a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022. The war had been largely dormant until it reignited in July.

The latest hostilities began when the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in defiance of Saudi control of Yemeni airspace. The government retaliated by striking Sanaa airport, an attack the Houthis blamed on Saudi Arabia.

Yemen is the latest country to be drawn into the broader Middle East war, which began with US-Israeli strikes against Iran in late February. US news site Axios reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman twice called US President Donald Trump last week to request strikes on the Houthis, but the request was rejected.

The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people and triggered a major humanitarian crisis.