Yemen’s civil war intensified as Houthi rebels launched drone and missile attacks on a military base in southern Saudi Arabia, following a major offensive along the Red Sea coast. The renewed hostilities have displaced nearly 86,000 people and drawn international concern over regional security and energy supplies.
Cross-Border Strikes and Military Escalation
The Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, stated on X that the group had targeted 自国と国民に対する侵略を管理している武器庫および指揮統制センター in an attack on the Sharurah military base in southern Saudi Arabia. The date of the operation was not specified. Saudi civil defence forces reported a projectile falling in al-Tawwal governorate near the Yemen border along the Red Sea, injuring two people and damaging a mosque and several buildings. The statement blamed the Houthis, while also noting that sirens had sounded in Sharurah governorate but no damage was reported.
Yemeni Ground Forces Regroup After Red Sea Defeats
Yemeni government forces claimed to have struck Houthi fighters in the Red Sea city of Mocha and later attacked other Houthi positions in the south-west of the country. The Yemeni military said its air force targeted テロ組織フーシ派の陣地および兵舎 with three airstrikes in the Taiz region. A senior Yemeni government official stated that forces would return to the Red Sea coast to fight back after accounts from people fleeing the Houthi advance described government forces withdrawing and urging civilians to flee.
Sultan al-Arada, a member of Yemen’s ruling presidential council and governor of Marib province, called the collapse of government forces in Mocha and other Red Sea cities painful and regrettable.
In a televised interview on Saturday night, al-Arada said forces were 現在再編中であり、いずれかの形で戦線に復帰するとのことだ. The renewed fighting has killed more than 500 people, according to sources on both sides.
Bab al-Mandab Chokepoint and Humanitarian Toll
The Houthi offensive along Yemen’s Red Sea coast culminated in the group capturing a key port city and an island on the Bab al-Mandab strait, a crucial shipping route alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. The UN reported that nearly 86,000 people had fled Yemen, most since early September when the Houthi offensive began. The International Organization for Migration noted that more than 2,000 displaced people had reached Djibouti. The waterway’s strategic importance has grown as Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, in response to US-Israeli attacks, has redirected oil exports through the Bab al-Mandab.
Iranian Involvement and Regional Ripple Effects
Reuters reported that the Houthi advance was supported by direct guidance from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, though Iran denies providing military direction to the group. State-run Iranian media said an Iranian commercial vessel was struck off Qeshm Island, killing one person and injuring four. The Qeshm governor blamed a terrorist enemy,
with no immediate comment from the US military, which has previously targeted Iranian-flagged vessels during its blockade of Iranian ports. Maritime trackers also reported explosions around Qeshm Island, a strategic location for Iran’s control of the Hormuz strait.
Ceasefire Collapse and Diplomatic Pressures
The Houthis claimed to have faced more than 50 Saudi airstrikes against their positions in 24 hours, with Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stating on Telegram that 犯罪的なサウジアラビアの敵が過去24時間で58回の空爆を行ったとのことだ. The group’s Almasirah TV reported Saudi strikes on Saada, Monabbih, and Al-Jawf provinces, though Riyadh has not confirmed these claims. The Houthis also claimed their heaviest missile and drone attack in years, which set oil sites ablaze and wounded 73 people.
Saudi civil defence alerts were issued for the cities of Abha and Khamis Mushait, later lifted. Earlier, the Houthis said they attacked the Sharurah base, with Saree stating the target was command and control centres managing the aggression against our nation and people. On Saturday, a projectile fired by the Houthis injured two people in the Jizan region. The UN agency reported that the fighting displaced 86,000 people, with the number surging by 10,000 from the previous day.
The conflict in Yemen, which began in 2014 when the Houthis seized Sana’a and forced out the internationally recognized government, had been dormant since a 2022 UN-brokered ceasefire. It reignited in July after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Yemeni airspace, prompting Saudi-led coalition strikes on Sanaa airport. The renewed hostilities have drawn Yemen into the broader Middle East war, which began with US-Israeli strikes against Iran in late February. US news site Axios reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman twice called Donald Trump to request strikes on the Houthis, but the request was rejected. Trump acknowledged the conversation but did not specify whether Washington would act, stating 全てうまくいくだろうとのことだ.
The Houthi offensive has intensified regional tensions, with the Bab al-Mandab strait becoming a critical chokepoint for global energy supplies. Iran’s involvement, whether direct or indirect, continues to fuel concerns about the conflict’s escalation. Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen worsens, with hundreds of thousands of deaths and a severe lack of resources. The Saudi-led coalition and Yemeni government forces face challenges in countering the Houthis’ advances, while the international community remains divided on how to address the escalating violence.