Riyadh (Web Desk): Saudi Arabia has vowed to respond “firmly” following a new wave of attacks, as intensifying Houthi operations in the kingdom’s southern areas raise concerns that Yemen’s already fragile conflict could once again trigger a broader regional confrontation.
The Houthis said they had launched dozens of missiles and drones toward King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, a city in southern Saudi Arabia.
The group claimed its strikes were aimed at aircraft hangars, radar equipment, runways and weapons storage sites. It described the operation as a response to Saudi airstrikes against territories controlled by the Houthis in Yemen.
Saudi authorities subsequently activated emergency warnings in Khamis Mushait and three other southern cities. The Saudi-led coalition reported that Houthi attacks had injured 13 civilians. However, the latest assault appears to be part of a larger surge in violence.
The Houthis also claimed responsibility for a number of other attacks in southern Saudi Arabia, including operations targeting oil facilities located near the Yemeni frontier.
The repeated strikes have heightened concerns about the protection of Saudi Arabia’s vital energy infrastructure, particularly as the region is already experiencing significant instability and disruption.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said Saudi warplanes had carried out attacks on several Yemeni provinces, including Taiz, Lahij, Al-Jawf, Marib and Hajjah.
Meanwhile, violence has escalated on the ground inside Yemen. Yemeni military sources said Houthi missile strikes against government positions between Marib and Al-Jawf resulted in the deaths of eight soldiers and left several others wounded.
The Houthis have also gained ground against forces supported by Riyadh. Reports indicate that hundreds of people have been killed in the latest clashes as the group continues to extend its territorial influence.
Another major concern is the group’s movement toward Bab al-Mandab, a strategically important maritime passage that serves as a key route for global shipping.
The Houthis have strengthened their presence along Yemen’s western Red Sea coastline, increasing the potential risks facing commercial vessels and regional maritime traffic.
The escalation comes at a particularly difficult moment for Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is already dealing with interruptions to its oil transportation system following an attack on the East-West pipeline, which moves crude from oil fields in the east toward the Red Sea.
Saudi officials have accused forces based in Iraq of carrying out the attack and said the pipeline’s operations were halted last week.
The Red Sea has assumed greater importance for Riyadh as maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has faced restrictions amid the broader confrontation involving Iran.
Saudi Arabia is consequently confronting risks on both sides of its oil-export network, with instability affecting the eastern route around the Strait of Hormuz and growing security challenges emerging along the Red Sea in the west.
While Riyadh considers its next move, Iran has denied accusations that it is behind or directing the latest Houthi offensive.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran does not intervene in Yemen’s affairs. He also stressed that the Houthis are an independent group and determine their actions themselves according to their own interests.