Drones and ballistic missiles at King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait and Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia. (GIF: @theinformant_x)
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said on September 8 that they had launched missiles and drones at Abha International Airport, King Khalid air base and Aramco facilities in Abha and Jizan. The Saudi-led coalition said on September 7 that 73 people were injured in Houthi attacks on civilian and economic sites. Separately, Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said their own warplanes struck Houthi positions on September 7. By September 8, Jawf civil defence chief Hassan Saboula put the Houthi-reported prison death toll at 11 and said 20 inmates remained missing beneath the rubble, according to the Houthi-run Al-Masirah. More than 300 people have been killed in the recent clashes, while hundreds of families have been forced from their homes.
The Houthi-run health ministry initially reported seven deaths, including a child, and at least seven injuries, according to the Associated Press.
“Yemeni drones and missiles pound the Saudi enemy,” Houthi media outlet Ansarollah said on Telegram. The attacks affected Abha, Khamis Mushait, Najran and Jazan, and the coalition said it would respond firmly, according to Reuters. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the alleged Saudi attacks “will not go unanswered or unpunished”. One of the alleged Saudi strikes hit a prison in Al-Hazm, Jawf province, according to Houthi media. Houthi-affiliated Saba said a child visiting the facility was among those killed.
Another Ansarollah post named the airport, military base and oil facilities among the targets. On the same day, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of air strikes and cruise missile attacks in Jawf, Al-Bayda, Marib and Taiz. Saudi Arabia did not publicly confirm the Houthi allegations. The latest exchange comes amid fighting near Yemen’s Red Sea coast. The Houthis are pressing an offensive for territory along the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Bab al-Mandab connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea, which leads north to the Suez Canal. The route has gained importance for Saudi crude shipments as Iran’s blockade restricts traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.