World Affairs
Saudi Arabia says Houthi attacks injure 73 and disrupt energy facilities
Fires broke out at oil and utility sites as renewed fighting in Yemen widened into a direct cross-border escalation.
Executive summary
- The attacks: Saudi authorities said Houthi missile and drone attacks struck civilian and economic sites in Abha, Jazan, Najran and Khamis Mushait on Tuesday.[1][2][3]
- The toll: Saudi officials said 73 people, including women and children, were injured; independent casualty verification was not immediately available.[1][2]
- The disruption: The Saudi Energy Ministry said fires temporarily halted operations at several oil facilities and utilities while crews worked to contain damage.[1][2]
- The escalation: The attacks followed weeks of renewed fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen after a four-year truce unraveled.[1]
Saudi Arabia said a wave of Houthi missile and drone attacks injured 73 people and ignited fires at oil facilities and utilities in the kingdom's southern region Tuesday, widening renewed fighting in Yemen into a direct cross-border escalation. The Associated Press reported the attacks and the Saudi account, while Saudi statements carried by the Saudi Gazette identified the affected cities as Abha, Jazan, Najran and Khamis Mushait.[1][2]
Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said women and children were among the 73 injured. Saudi authorities did not immediately provide a detailed breakdown, and the toll could not be independently verified. The Gulf Cooperation Council separately confirmed that civilian injuries resulted from Houthi attacks on southern Saudi Arabia, without giving a number.[1][2][3]
Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry said fires at several energy facilities and utilities forced temporary operational suspensions while field teams contained the blazes and assessed damage. Officials did not identify every affected site or quantify lost output. AP noted that the southern region includes the 400,000-barrel-a-day Jazan refinery, but neither the ministry nor AP said that refinery itself had been shut.[1][2]
The Houthis claimed responsibility and said they fired dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at oil and economic facilities and at King Khalid Air Base. Their military spokesperson said targets included the Jazan industrial hub and Aramco facilities in Najran and Abha. Those operational claims were statements by the armed group and were not independently confirmed in the reporting available Tuesday morning.[1]
The exchange follows the collapse of a truce that had largely halted direct fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition since 2022. Renewed clashes have displaced about 18,500 people in Yemen's Taiz and Hodeida provinces, according to International Organization for Migration figures cited by AP, while attacks on Red Sea shipping and Saudi energy infrastructure add risk to trade routes already strained by conflict around the Strait of Hormuz.[1]