Saudi Arabia condemned attacks targeting civilians and civilian facilities in cities in the country’s south, warning of the regional consequences of threats to maritime traffic in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.
Speaking at a UN Security Council session convened to discuss Yemen, Riyadh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Abdulaziz Al-Wasil, said the Houthis had targeted civilians in cities in southern Saudi Arabia.
Al-Wasil said the group was pursuing a policy that targeted not only civilians but also civilian facilities and economic infrastructure. He said the Houthis were threatening maritime traffic in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab, describing the conduct as “extremely dangerous criminal behavior.”
Warning of risks to shipping and trade
Al-Wasil said the Houthis’ recent escalation had extended beyond Yemen’s borders, threatening not only Saudi territory but also maritime traffic in the region and the flow of international trade.
Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, said in a statement the previous day that the Houthis had carried out attacks with ballistic missiles and drones on the southern Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Jizan.
Al-Maliki said the coalition’s joint forces command would act responsibly against the attacks to protect Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and national resources and shield civilians and civilian facilities from attack.
Fighting intensifies again in Yemen
Changes have occurred in the map of territorial control in Yemen as fighting between government forces and the Houthis intensified from the beginning of July. The activity, which followed years of relative calm, signaled a new military escalation.
After entering the areas of Hays and Hukhah, the Houthis established control across Hudaydah governorate. The group also advanced in western Taiz governorate, taking control of cities such as Mocha on the Red Sea coast and areas extending toward Bab al-Mandab.
Government forces advanced in Al Jawf governorate and approached its administrative capital, Al Hazm. Clashes continued on the fronts in Marib, Al Bayda and Al Dhale’e.
The western coast along the Red Sea has strategic importance because of its proximity to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the main routes for international maritime traffic.
The developments are being viewed as part of the broadest wave of escalation seen in Yemen since the UN-backed ceasefire began in 2022. Fighting resumed in July after the ceasefire process faltered.
