Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Wound 73, Ignite Oil Facility Fires
A wave of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia has left 73 people wounded and ignited fires at several oil facilities in the kingdom's southern region. The attacks, which were carried out on Tuesday, targeted civilian and economic facilities in the cities of Abha, Jazan, Najran, and Khamis Mushait, according to Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.
The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were in response to recent Saudi attacks on the rebels across Yemen. The rebels fired dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at oil and economic facilities, as well as an air base in southern Saudi Arabia.
The attacks have brought more uncertainty to a region already destabilized by nearly three years of wars and threatens to squeeze shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a critical route for oil and global trade. The conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis also comes at a time when the Iran war has nearly halted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Government forces reclaimed territory from the Houthis in the provinces of Hodeida and Taiz, and attacked the rebels in the northern province of Jawf as well as the central provinces of Marib and Bayda. The flare-up displaced about 18,500 people in Taiz and Hodeida in southwestern Yemen.