RIYADH | Iran-backed Houthi forces launched a wave of missile and drone attacks against southern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, hitting four cities, setting fires at energy facilities and wounding 73 people in one of the most serious escalations between the Yemeni group and the kingdom in recent years.
Saudi officials said the attacks targeted civilian and economic sites in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran. The Saudi Energy Ministry said several energy installations were hit, causing fires and forcing some operations to be temporarily suspended while emergency teams worked to contain the damage and assess the impact.
The Saudi-led coalition said the 73 people injured included women and children. Saudi officials described the attacks as a major escalation and said the kingdom would take measures to defend its territory and infrastructure. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Riyadh would not hesitate to use available means to protect the country’s interests, while also saying the door to diplomacy remained open.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the operation was carried out in response to what the group described as more than 120 Saudi airstrikes against Yemen during the previous three days. Saudi authorities have not confirmed that figure.
The latest violence comes after months of renewed regional tensions. The Houthis have intensified their attacks on Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea and earlier announced a naval blockade targeting Saudi vessels. The group has also resumed missile and drone attacks against Saudi territory after a period of relative calm following a United Nations-brokered truce in 2022.
The Yemen conflict began escalating dramatically in 2014 when Houthi forces seized the capital, Sanaa. Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened militarily in 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Years of fighting produced a devastating humanitarian crisis before the 2022 truce substantially reduced cross-border attacks.
The new strikes are taking place against the wider backdrop of the expanding Middle East war and heightened confrontation involving Iran, the United States and regional powers. The attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure are particularly significant because the kingdom is one of the world’s largest oil producers and a critical supplier to global energy markets.
Oil prices rose sharply following the attacks, with Brent crude approaching $100 a barrel as traders assessed the potential impact of damage to regional energy infrastructure and the wider disruption of Middle East shipping routes.
The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the attacks, saying they threatened regional and international security, while Saudi Arabia signaled that further escalation could trigger a military response.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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