The Shiite Huthis rebels of Yemen today claimed a military operation against economic and military interests in Saudi Arabia, which caused more than 70 wounded in response to Riyadh bombings against Yemeni territory.
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08/09/2026
by
Lusa
“ Athe Yemeni armed forces carried out a large-scale military operation,” targeting Aramco oil facilities and King Khalid Air Base, said the rebel military spokesman, Yayha Saree.
In the operation, the rebels used “ten ballistic missiles and drones,” Saree said in a statement quoted by the France-Presse news agency (AFP).
The operation was a response to 121 air strikes that the rebels attributed to Saudi Arabia in the last three days against the Yemeni provinces of Marib, Al Baida, Al Hudeida, Taiz and Al Yauf.
The Huthis accused Riyadh of an “important and widespread scale” and highlighted the bombing of a prison in Al Yauf, with a balance of 11 dead and 20 missing, according to local authorities.
On Monday, the rebels had released a balance sheet of seven dead and seven wounded in the attack on the prison, attributed to the Saudi Arabian-led military coalition, which did not comment on the charges.
The new Huthis offensive took place shortly after Saudi official and military sources reported attacks on civilian and economic facilities in the provinces of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jizan and Najran.
Saudi Arabia announced that the Huthis bombings caused 73 injured, including women and children, and caused fires in energy installations and temporary disruptions of some operations.
Saudi military spokesman Turki al Maliki promised to take “all the necessary operational measures” to deter the Huthis, according to the Spanish news agency EFE.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry accused the rebels supported by Iran of threatening regional security and international navigation in the Red Sea.
The Huthis have warned that they will respond to any further attack and have assured that they will continue operations within Saudi Arabia until the assault is over and the blockade of Yemen is lifted.
The aggravation of tension threatens to completely reactivate a war that has remained partially frozen since 2022, when a United Nations-mediated truce that had significantly reduced the fighting and allowed the exchange of prisoners has expired.
The conflict began in late 2014, when the Huthis took over the Yemeni capital, Sana, and large areas of the north and center of the country.
Saudi Arabia intervened militarily the following year in support of the internationally recognised Government.
In recent weeks, the fighting has intensified especially in Marib, an oil-rich region, and in areas on the Red Sea coast, with government forces and Huthis demanding advances on different fronts.
The Huthis tried last week to move to areas on the shore of Bab el-Mandeb's narrow strategic, linking Asia to Europe through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
The strait has gained fundamental importance since the beginning of the Middle East war and the blockade by Iran of the Strait of Ormuz, on the other side of the Arabian peninsula.
Yemen is the last country to be dragged into the regional conflict triggered by the US and Israeli offensive against Iran in late February.
The war in Yemen caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and plunged the country, the poorest of the Arabian peninsula, into a serious humanitarian crisis.