RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned a fresh wave of Houthi attacks on its territory, warning that it will take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and neutralise threats.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry, in a statement reported by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), demanded an immediate end to what it described as the Houthis’ escalating attacks, including strikes targeting maritime shipping.
Saudi authorities said the latest attacks also targeted energy infrastructure in the kingdom’s southern region, triggering fires and temporarily disrupting operations at several facilities.
An Energy Ministry source said multiple energy-sector installations came under attack early Tuesday, causing fires at several sites and leaving a number of people injured.
A Saudi-led coalition said the attacks wounded 73 civilians, describing the strikes on civilian and economic infrastructure as “senseless”. The coalition vowed to take necessary military measures against the sources of the threat.
Houthi-affiliated media, meanwhile, claimed that the group had targeted several sites in Saudi Arabia, including Abha International Airport, King Khalid Air Base and Aramco facilities in Abha and Jizan.
The latest escalation followed accusations by the Houthis that Saudi-led forces had carried out airstrikes inside Yemen, including an attack on a prison in Al-Hazm.
According to Houthi-linked reports, the prison strike killed 11 people, while around 20 inmates remained trapped beneath the rubble. A child visiting the facility was also reportedly among those killed.
The renewed violence comes as Houthi forces intensify their offensive along Yemen’s western Red Sea coast, seeking to expand their presence towards the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to regional analysts.
The narrow waterway connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and serves as a major international shipping route. Its strategic importance has increased amid wider regional tensions and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.
Yemen’s conflict between the Iran-backed Houthis and the internationally recognised government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, intensified again in July after several years of relative calm.
The Houthis continue to control large parts of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, while government forces and their allies seek to regain territory.
