Yemen’s Houthi rebels have reported more than 40 Saudi airstrikes on several parts of the country, including the flashpoint regions of Taiz and Hodeida, as tensions continue to escalate amid renewed fighting.
According to the rebels, the strikes targeted areas that have previously witnessed intense clashes between the Houthis and forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
The reported strikes came a day after the Houthis launched their heaviest missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia in years, setting oil facilities on fire and injuring 73 people.
The latest escalation in Yemen comes amid the wider conflict in the Middle East, which erupted in late February following US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Iran on Wednesday said it had attacked 20 US vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and targeted an American military base in Jordan in retaliation for US strikes on Iranian oil tankers.
The broader conflict has drawn Yemen, the energy-rich Gulf states and other countries in the region into the hostilities, while also disrupting the global economy. Oil prices rose back to around $100 a barrel on Wednesday.
More than 500 people have reportedly been killed since the Houthis launched a major offensive last week to capture territory around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key gateway to the Red Sea shipping route.
The rebels have also targeted Saudi oil tankers in an effort to further disrupt shipments, which analysts describe as a crucial route for exports following the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthi-run Almasirah TV reported on Wednesday that Saudi airstrikes had targeted several areas in the governorates of Marib, Al-Jawf, Taiz and Hodeida.
Saudi Arabia has not issued an official comment on the reported strikes.
Saudi civil defence authorities later issued a warning for Khamis Mushait in the southern region near Yemen, but the alert was subsequently lifted.
On Tuesday, Saudi authorities vowed to retaliate against the Houthi attacks, which they said had caused fires and temporary disruptions at oil facilities.
The latest round of hostilities followed renewed tensions in July, when the Houthis allowed an Iranian aircraft to land in Yemen despite Saudi restrictions on the country’s airspace. The Yemeni government responded by striking the airport, an attack the Houthis attributed to Saudi Arabia.
The renewed exchanges have raised fears that Yemen could once again descend into a prolonged conflict that previously killed hundreds of thousands of people and contributed to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The Houthis seized Yemen’s capital and forced out the internationally recognised government before fighting a Saudi-led coalition from 2015 until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire took effect in 2022.
The European Union on Tuesday called on the Houthis to halt their attacks, describing the latest developments as a “dangerous escalation”.
EU diplomatic service spokesman Anouar El Anouni urged the Houthis to immediately stop attacks both inside and outside Yemen, including assaults on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
