Yemen's Houthi movement launched missiles and drones at four cities in southern Saudi Arabia early Tuesday, wounding 73 civilians, including women and children, and setting fires at energy facilities, according to Saudi authorities. The strikes on Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran marked a sharp expansion of renewed cross-border fighting.
Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said several oil installations and utility sites were hit and that some operations stopped temporarily while firefighters tackled the blazes. Officials did not report the duration or scale of the disruption. Jazan contains a refinery capable of processing 400,000 barrels of crude a day, making the region important to Saudi exports.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group used dozens of ballistic missiles and drones against oil and economic facilities and King Khalid Air Base. He described the operation as retaliation for recent Saudi strikes in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has not commented on a Houthi allegation that a strike on a prison in al-Jawf killed seven people, including a child.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki called the attacks a dangerous escalation and said Saudi forces would act against the sources of the threat. Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, speaking in Moscow, said Riyadh remained open to diplomacy but would defend its territory and interests. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said military escalation was damaging the global economy.
The violence threatens to unravel the relative calm established after a United Nations-brokered truce in 2022. AP reported that recent fighting killed at least 194 people and wounded more than 880 between August 23 and September 5, citing the World Health Organization. The United Nations said more than 21,000 people were displaced in Yemen over a 27-hour period, chiefly in Taiz and Hodeida.
The escalation also carries global energy and shipping risks. Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and has become more important as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz faces disruption. Saudi officials also accused the Houthis of targeting commercial vessels. The extent of damage and the length of operational suspensions remained unclear, while both sides signaled that further military action was possible.
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