Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have claimed new attacks on neighboring Saudi Arabia, escalating tensions as the rebels' recent advance along the Red Sea coast has alarmed markets and Yemeni civilians.
The Houthis' capture of a key port city and an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, in recent days has raised fears of a return to devastating civil war. The Houthis' military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed in a statement that the group launched overnight missile and drone attacks targeting a military base in Sharurah province in Saudi Arabia's Najran region, though he provided no evidence.
The Saudi civil defense reported that a projectile fell in al-Tawwal governorate near the border with Yemen, injuring two people and damaging a mosque and several other buildings, an incident they attributed to the Houthis. Sirens also sounded in Sharurah province, but no casualties or damage were reported.
The Houthis have been targeting Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping as part of a recently declared blockade. While the rebels maintain there is no threat to other commercial shipping, oil prices have risen amid market wariness.
A senior official in Yemen's Saudi-backed government described the rebels' advance along the Red Sea coast as a "painful and regrettable" development. Sultan al-Arada, a member of the ruling presidential council and governor of Marib province, stated that government forces are regrouping and intend to return to the battle.
Earlier, a senior military official from Yemen's internationally recognized government cited "lack of coordination" between the army and allied militias as a factor enabling the Houthi gains. This official also expressed surprise that the Saudi air force did not intervene to prevent the capture of Mokha, a port city approximately 50 miles from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The rapid rebel advance represents a significant setback for Yemen's government and Saudi Arabia, which have been engaged in conflict with the Houthis for 12 years. This latest escalation threatens a 2022 ceasefire.
The Houthi advance also brings the rebels within approximately 20 miles of the U.S. military base in Djibouti, a key American outpost in Africa that also hosts foreign military bases from China, France, and Japan. Djibouti has reported an influx of Yemenis crossing the Bab el-Mandeb strait, with the International Organization for Migration stating that over 2,000 people had reached the Horn of Africa nation by Sunday. Djibouti's government has deployed naval and coast guard assets to conduct rescue operations and provide emergency assistance.