Houthis launch attacks on Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Aden

Houthi fighters have introduced a series of attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and the seat of Yemen's internationally recognised administration in Aden.

Key points

• Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, described the Houthi attacks as "heinous".
• The Houthis have persistently targeted Saudi energy infrastructure and airports nationwide with long-range strikes since a fragile ceasefire agreed in 2022 fell apart in July.
• Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV remarked on Saturday that Saudi coalition air strikes killed a number of civilians in Sanaa and in the port city of Hodeidah.
• Images shared on X by the Saudi Press Agency appeared to show a sizeable, blackened missile-shaped object that had landed somewhere in Saudi Arabia.
• Yemen's army remarked a Houthi missile killed three residents when it malfunctioned and fell on a family home in Houthi-held Sanaa on Friday.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, the Yemeni government's Transport Ministry denounced what it described as the Houthis' targeting of Aden International Airport with two ballistic missiles, calling it the "fourth such attack this month".

Meanwhile, the airport attacks pose "a threat to the safety of civil aviation" and have "humanitarian and economic repercussions for citizens" who rely on it, the ministry cautioned.

According to Yemeni authorities, the coastguard headquarters and a second building were additionally hit.

Notably, the Houthis asserted attacks on the al-Nasr camp and Aden's naval military base.

Yemen's army remarked a Houthi missile killed three residents when it malfunctioned and fell on a family home in Houthi-held Sanaa on Friday. The army remarked it was one of a number of missile malfunctions seen in recent weeks by the Iran-backed group.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV remarked on Saturday that Saudi coalition air strikes killed a number of civilians in Sanaa and in the port city of Hodeidah. The claim could not be verified and Riyadh has not commented on the alleged raids.

Additionally on Saturday, Saudi Arabia's civil defence stated on X that the Houthis had introduced two ballistic missiles towards Mecca and Medina, warning of "the fall of shrapnel" after their interception.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, described the Houthi attacks as "heinous". It embody "a blatant disregard for the lives and security of civilians" in an official note shared on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Houthis remarked the claim that they targeted the two cities – the holiest in Islam – was a "huge lie". They remarked their targets were three Saudi airports, oil infrastructure, and an airbase.

Meanwhile, the Houthis have persistently targeted Saudi energy infrastructure and airports nationwide with long-range strikes since a fragile ceasefire agreed in 2022 fell apart in July.

Intense fighting is continuing on Yemen's front lines as the Houthis battle forces of the internationally recognised administration for control of key areas.

On Saturday, Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili remarked that administration forces had carried out more than 700 "targeting operations" over the last 24 hours throughout Yemen, "neutralising" 300 Houthi fighters and disabling military vehicles. Al Jazeera could not independently verify those figures.

Operations targeted field command centres, Houthi gatherings, weapons depots, and supply lines in Taiz, where intense clashes have been ongoing for days, the spokesman continued.

Taken together, the developments around houthis launch attacks on Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Aden point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.