CAIRO, Sep 08: Saudi Arabia reported that 73 people were injured in a series of Houthi attacks targeting civilian and economic facilities across several cities on Tuesday. The assaults mark a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the attacks occurred in the cities of Abha, Jazan, Najran, and Khamis Mushait. Major General Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, stated that the wounded included women and children, though a detailed breakdown was not immediately provided. He characterized the actions as a “serious escalation” and a “flagrant violation of the kingdom’s sovereignty, and a direct threat to the security and safety of its citizens and residents.” He further vowed that the coalition “will take all necessary operational measures to deter the terrorist Houthi militia with utmost resolve.”
The Houthi group has not officially commented on the specific Tuesday attacks but indicated that a statement regarding “a large-scale military operation” deep within Saudi territory would be forthcoming. Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, lauded the attacks via social media, stating, “The Saudi enemy has to understand that the time for committing crimes and massacres against the Yemeni people without response, deterrence, or paying a price has ended.”
These assaults follow weeks of intensified fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces in Yemen, which has led to the collapse of a four-year truce. Government forces have reported territorial gains in the provinces of Hodeida, Taiz, and Baydah, while the Houthis have also targeted Saudi oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea region. The attacks also came hours after the rebels accused Saudi Arabia of an airstrike that struck a prison in Yemen’s northern Jawf province, an incident which the Houthis claim resulted in the deaths of at least seven people, including a child, and wounded seven others in the city of Hazem.
The civil war in Yemen commenced in 2014 when the Houthi movement seized the capital, Sanaa, and a substantial portion of northern Yemen, forcing the Yemeni government into exile. A coalition led by Saudi Arabia, with participation from the United Arab Emirates, intervened in 2015 with the objective of reinstating the government. Recent months have seen rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, former allies in the conflict, following the UAE’s withdrawal from Yemen.
The protracted conflict in Yemen has resulted in significant casualties, with UN estimates placing the death toll at over 150,000 people. The nation has also faced severe humanitarian challenges, at times teetering on the brink of widespread famine.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
