Yemen Houthis claim major missile, drone attack on Saudi air base

There was no immediate response from Saudi authorities to the Houthi claims. There was also no information on possible casualties or the extent of any damage at the base.

Yemen’s Houthi group on Monday claimed it had launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at King Khalid Air Base in southwestern Saudi Arabia, in what it described as a major retaliatory operation amid escalating cross-border hostilities.

In a statement carried by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree said dozens of ballistic missiles and drones were fired at the Saudi military base in Khamis Mushait, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni border.

According to Saree, the operation targeted fighter-jet hangars, radar systems, runways, ammunition depots and other military facilities at the base. He claimed the strikes were “precise and direct” and caused significant damage, Xinhua News Agency reported.

There was no immediate response from Saudi authorities to the Houthi claims. There was also no information on possible casualties or the extent of any damage at the base.

Houthis cite Saudi airstrikes as reason for attack

Saree said the missile and drone operation was carried out in retaliation for what the Houthis described as an intensifying Saudi air campaign in Yemen.

He claimed Saudi F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets had carried out more than 300 airstrikes across several Yemeni provinces in recent days. The Houthi spokesperson warned that the group would continue targeting locations deep inside Saudi territory for as long as the airstrikes on Yemen continued.

Saree further warned that any additional escalation would be met with broader Houthi military operations.

Houthi offensive expands along Red Sea coast

The latest claim comes amid a sweeping Houthi offensive that began on September 3 and has rapidly altered front lines along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

The group has captured several areas previously held by the Yemeni government in Red Sea Hodeidah province and neighbouring southwestern Taiz province.

On Thursday, the Houthis captured the strategic port city of Mocha before advancing south towards the Bab al-Mandab Strait. They also seized Mayun Island, located at the heart of the strategic waterway, tightening their control over the vital shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.

Following the advance on Friday, the Houthis said international navigation through the Bab al-Mandab Strait remained “free, safe and smooth”. At the same time, they said Saudi vessels would continue to be excluded under a maritime ban imposed by the group on July 20.

Yemen’s conflict which began in late 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and large parts of northern Yemen. In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

The latest developments mark a further escalation in a conflict that has increasingly spilled across Yemen’s borders and affected one of the world’s key maritime routes.

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