Houthis Claim Saudi Arabia Launched New Airstrikes Overnight

RIYADH: Yemen’s Houthi group claimed that Saudi Arabia launched a new wave of airstrikes overnight, as Riyadh accused the group of carrying out what it described as a cowardly attack targeting the Islamic holy city of Makkah.

However, the Houthis swiftly denied Saudi Arabia’s claim early yesterday that its forces had successfully shot down a drone heading towards Makkah, an incident that sparked condemnation across the Muslim world.

Fighting has resumed between the Houthis and Yemen’s Riyadh-backed government, drawing Saudi Arabia back into the conflict after the Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.

Following the alleged Houthi attempt to target Makkah, the Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned the action as a cowardly terrorist attack, reiterating that the kingdom has the right to defend the security of the two holy mosques, pilgrims and the entire territory of Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Houthi political bureau member Hazem al-Assad rejected the accusation as an outdated lie that had been used before and could no longer deceive anyone.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting the group also vowed to respond, stressing that the security of the two holy mosques and pilgrims was a red line.

“The coalition will not hesitate to take the necessary preventive measures against the terrorist Houthi militia,” it said in a statement.

Last night, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi warplanes had carried out 40 airstrikes targeting the provinces of Taiz, Marib and Hodeidah over the past 24 hours.

Over the past week, he claimed that Saudi Arabia had launched more than 450 airstrikes, adding that in retaliation, the Houthis had targeted an airbase and facilities belonging to a Saudi oil company in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.

Yesterday, the Houthis also claimed that they had shot down a Saudi fighter jet.

According to the United Nations (UN), the conflict in the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula has forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes.

Yemen’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Abdullah al-Saadi, said his government was working to restore the country’s national institutions and urged the international community to take action against the Houthis.

Yemeni government forces are now reportedly fighting Houthi fighters near the Saudi Arabian border.

AFP footage showed soldiers travelling in armoured vehicles and trucks across desert terrain, with the sound of machine-gun fire in the background.

Two military sources told AFP yesterday that government forces were fighting the Houthis for control of the Al-Labanat camp, which, if captured, could potentially reopen the route to Al-Hazm, the capital of Al-Jawf province, about 50 kilometres from the area.

AFP