Daijiworld Media Network - Sanaa
Sanaa, Jul 25: Airstrikes targeted Houthi military positions in northern Yemen on Saturday, according to Yemen's state-run television, amid rising tensions following the group's reported attacks on Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea.
The strikes reportedly hit missile and rocket launch sites as well as weapons depots in the provinces of Marib and al-Jawf. Yemen TV said several Houthi fighters, including missile specialists, were killed in the attacks. The Houthi movement did not immediately comment on the reported strikes.
Hours later, the Houthis claimed they had launched coordinated missile and drone attacks on Saudi energy facilities in the Jizan and Yanbu regions. In a televised statement broadcast by Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV, military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the operations were carried out in retaliation for overnight coalition airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen's Red Sea province of Hodeidah. He asserted that the strikes had achieved their objectives, although no evidence was provided.
Saudi authorities had not issued an official response at the time of reporting.
The latest escalation follows the Houthis' announcement last week of a maritime ban on Saudi-linked shipping and their claim that they attacked two Saudi oil tankers on Thursday.
On Friday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had conducted strikes on Houthi military targets in Hodeidah while avoiding civilian infrastructure. In contrast, Al-Masirah TV reported that multiple locations, including telecommunications facilities and Kamaran Island, were hit, and claimed that a woman was injured in the strikes.
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized large parts of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognised Yemeni government.
Although a United Nations-brokered truce expired in 2022, a fragile de facto ceasefire has largely remained in place. The recent exchange of attacks has renewed concerns about regional security and the safety of commercial shipping through the Red Sea, a critical global trade route.
Adding to the international pressure, US President Donald Trump warned on Thursday that both the Houthis and Iran would face "major military punishment" if attacks on ships continued. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was "very disappointed" with the Houthis and accused them of attacking two Saudi vessels. He also stated that the United States would hold Iran responsible if such attacks persist.