Houthis Escalate Cross-Border Attacks on Saudi Arabia as 73 Are Injured

At least 73 people have been injured after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a wave of attacks on southern Saudi Arabia, hitting civilian and economic facilities and triggering fires at several energy sites, Saudi officials said.

The attacks struck locations in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, marking a major escalation in the renewed conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia and its allies.

Saudi authorities said emergency teams were deployed to deal with the aftermath of the strikes, while fires reported at some energy and utility facilities were brought under control. Operations at certain installations were temporarily affected as officials assessed the damage and implemented safety measures.

Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition involved in the Yemen conflict, said the attacks targeted civilian and economic infrastructure and wounded 73 people, including civilians.

He condemned the strikes and said the coalition would respond firmly to what Saudi authorities described as a threat to the kingdom’s security and sovereignty.

The Houthi attacks came amid intensifying fighting inside Yemen, where the rebels and forces aligned with the internationally recognised government have been engaged in renewed clashes after a years-long truce broke down.

The Houthis had earlier accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out an airstrike on a prison in Yemen’s northern Jawf province, claiming that seven people, including a child, were killed. Saudi authorities had not publicly commented on the allegation at the time of the reports.

The renewed cross-border attacks underline the growing danger of a wider escalation in the region. Saudi Arabia has long been involved in the conflict in Yemen, where the Houthis control large parts of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

The latest strikes also raise concerns about the security of Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure. Jazan, one of the areas affected, is home to major oil and energy facilities that have been targeted during previous periods of conflict.

As authorities assess the full extent of the damage, attention is now turning to whether the latest attacks could trigger a broader Saudi-led military response and further deepen Yemen’s already devastating conflict.