India Condemns Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia as Threats to Regional Security Escalate

India has condemned recent attacks by the Houthi movement on Saudi Arabia, particularly targeting civilian and economic facilities. The Indian government's spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that such attacks 'undermined regional security and stability and threatened freedom of navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb were unacceptable.'

The attacks, which occurred a day earlier, saw the Houthi movement launch a wave of missile and drone attacks on southern Saudi Arabia. The strikes hit the cities of Abha, Jazan, Najran, and Khamis Mushait, causing fires at several oil facilities and utilities.

Saudi authorities reported that 73 people, including women and children, were injured in the attacks. The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that the group had fired dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at Aramco facilities in Abha, Najran, and Jazan, as well as the King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait.

India's concerns about the attacks come against a backdrop of a longer history of New Delhi being directly affected by the Yemen conflict. In February 2022, India told the United Nations that the Yemen conflict was creating 'ripple-effects' on security and stability across the Gulf, where around nine million Indians lived and worked.