Fighting has escalated across Yemen, with the country’s internationally recognized government accusing the Houthis of killing three children in an artillery attack. Saudi Arabia has accused the Iran-backed group of targeting the kingdom’s infrastructure. Warnings of impending attacks were sounded in several Saudi provinces early on Thursday, as the Houthis claimed that Saudi forces conducted 54 air strikes over 12 hours.
The renewed hostilities between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government forces coincide with increasing regional tensions related to the United States and Israel’s actions against Iran. Pakistan warned that continued Houthi attacks could activate the recently signed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a mutual security pact involving Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan.
Iran has rejected criticism from the Arab League regarding its involvement in Yemen, asserting that the Houthis operate independently. According to the World Health Organization, the clashes have resulted in over 1,000 casualties since August 24 and displaced tens of thousands.
On Wednesday, the government-run Saba news reported that at least three children, including a baby, were killed in Houthi shelling in the central Marib governorate, with six others wounded. This incident was noted as the second such attack in 48 hours, following an earlier assault that resulted in two child fatalities and 15 injuries.
The Houthis reported that the death toll from an attack on a prison in the northern al-Jawf governorate had risen to at least 32, with seven others wounded in the attack on Tuesday.
Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. The ongoing conflict has resulted in an estimated 150,000 deaths. A United Nations-brokered truce in 2022 halted large-scale fighting, but clashes resumed in July after a strike on the Houthi-held Sanaa airport. Recently, the Houthis launched a major offensive in Hodeidah and Taiz provinces, aiming to advance towards the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a vital maritime route for Saudi oil exports.
This offensive has led to counterattacks by government-aligned forces and expanded operations in other regions, including al-Jawf, which is viewed as a gateway to Sanaa.
The fighting has also affected Saudi Arabia, with Major General Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, stating that the Houthis continue to attack the kingdom’s assets and infrastructure. He noted that the rebels targeted Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Jazan using ballistic missiles and drones, and promised a response to what he termed the Houthis’ “heinous attacks.”
Saudi Arabia’s civil defense authority issued multiple alerts for Khamis Mushait and Abha early on Thursday, following similar warnings the previous day, though no casualties were reported in connection with these alerts.
The Houthis have stated they will respond to Saudi air strikes. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed that Saudi forces launched 54 air strikes across six provinces over 12 hours on Wednesday, targeting al-Jawf, Marib, Taiz, Hodeidah, Saada, and al-Bayda. He did not confirm any casualties from these attacks but indicated that the aircraft involved took off from King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait and King Fahd Air Base in Taif. Saree asserted that the ongoing aggression against Yemen would not go unanswered.
On Tuesday, Saree claimed that Saudi forces had conducted 121 air strikes on Houthi-controlled territory in the preceding days, including a strike on the prison in al-Hazm, al-Jawf. The Houthis reported retaliatory attacks on Aramco facilities in Abha, Najran, and Jizan, as well as on the Economic City and Khamis Mushait Air Base.
Saudi officials reported that Houthi attacks had injured at least 73 individuals. Separately, Yemeni government-aligned forces announced continued advances in al-Jawf for a third consecutive day, claiming to have reached the vicinity of Bir al-Maraziq and severed Houthi supply lines. They also reported attacks on Houthi positions in Taiz and the deployment of additional reinforcements to support the anti-Houthi National Resistance forces along Yemen’s western coast. These claims could not be independently verified.
Pakistani officials reiterated that any attack on Saudi Arabia could activate the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, which aims to enhance collective deterrence against future attacks. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated that unprovoked aggression or spillover from Yemen into Saudi Arabia would trigger the agreement.
Iran criticized a statement from Arab League foreign ministers condemning its alleged violations of Yemen’s sovereignty, asserting that it does not interfere in Yemen and supports Yemeni-led dialogue based on a UN-backed roadmap.