Yemen conflict widens: Houthis claim strikes on Saudi airport, air base and Aramco sites

Drones and ballistic missiles at King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait and Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia. (GIF: @theinformant_x)

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said on September 8 that they had launched missiles and drones at Abha International Airport, King Khalid air base and Aramco facilities in Abha and Jizan.“Yemeni drones and missiles pound the Saudi enemy,” Houthi media outlet Ansarollah said on Telegram. Another Ansarollah post named the airport, military base and oil facilities among the targets.

Houthi attacks follow September 7 escalation

The Saudi-led coalition said on September 7 that 73 people were injured in Houthi attacks on civilian and economic sites. The attacks affected Abha, Khamis Mushait, Najran and Jazan, and the coalition said it would respond firmly, according to Reuters.On the same day, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of air strikes and cruise missile attacks in Jawf, Al-Bayda, Marib and Taiz. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the alleged Saudi attacks “will not go unanswered or unpunished”. Saudi Arabia did not publicly confirm the Houthi allegations.One of the alleged Saudi strikes hit a prison in Al-Hazm, Jawf province, according to Houthi media. The Houthi-run health ministry initially reported seven deaths, including a child, and at least seven injuries, according to the Associated Press. Separately, Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said their own warplanes struck Houthi positions on September 7.

Houthi official puts prison toll at 11

By September 8, Jawf civil defence chief Hassan Saboula put the Houthi-reported prison death toll at 11 and said 20 inmates remained missing beneath the rubble, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah. Houthi-affiliated Saba said a child visiting the facility was among those killed.

Fighting intensifies near Bab al-Mandab

The latest exchange comes amid fighting near Yemen’s Red Sea coast. More than 300 people have been killed in the recent clashes, while hundreds of families have been forced from their homes. The Houthis are pressing an offensive for territory along the Bab al-Mandab Strait.Bab al-Mandab connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea, which leads north to the Suez Canal. The route has gained importance for Saudi crude shipments as Iran’s blockade restricts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.