BY: SANI MAGAJI GARKO, KANO
Saudi Arabia has vowed a strong response after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement launched a wave of missile and drone attacks on several parts of the kingdom, injuring at least 73 people.
The attacks targeted areas including Abha, Jizan, Najran and Khamis Mushait, with Saudi authorities reporting damage and fires at some strategic and energy-related facilities.
Saudi officials described the attacks as a “dangerous escalation”, saying Riyadh would take all necessary measures to protect its territory, population and critical infrastructure.
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The Saudi-led coalition has also warned that it will take operational measures to deter and confront the Houthis, although Riyadh had not, in the latest reports, announced a specific new retaliatory strike inside Yemen.
The Houthis said their attacks were retaliation for Saudi military operations against their positions in Yemen. Claims by the group about the scale of Saudi airstrikes have not been independently verified.
The latest confrontation represents a major deterioration after several years of relative calm following the 2022 truce, which significantly reduced Saudi-Houthi cross-border attacks.
Saudi Arabia intervened militarily in Yemen in 2015 to support the internationally recognised government after the Houthis seized the capital, Sana’a. Riyadh considers the Iran-backed movement a major security threat along its southern border.
The renewed fighting is unfolding amid the wider U.S.-Iran conflict, raising fears that Yemen could become another major front in the expanding Middle East crisis.
The escalation could also threaten Red Sea shipping and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital route for global trade and energy supplies.
Analysts warn that sustained Houthi attacks on Saudi territory could trigger a renewed Saudi air campaign in Yemen, potentially creating another cycle of missile attacks, airstrikes and disruption to regional energy infrastructure.
For now, Saudi Arabia has strengthened its defensive posture and threatened retaliation, while the Houthis have indicated that they are prepared to continue their attacks.
The major question is whether the latest exchange will remain limited or develop into a broader Saudi-Houthi war with consequences for Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Red Sea shipping and the wider regional conflict.