The European Union called on the Houthis to halt their attacks against Saudi Arabia amid a renewed escalation of the conflict in Yemen.
EU Commissioner for Mediterranean Affairs Dubravka Šuica said the latest attacks on Saudi Arabia targeted civilians and energy infrastructure. Šuica condemned the attacks, saying that the threat to civilians and critical infrastructure was unacceptable.
Šuica said the EU stood in full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its people. She identified dialogue, along with respect for freedom of navigation, security and regional stability, as key elements.
Attacks against Saudi Arabia
The coalition supporting Yemen’s legitimate government, led by Saudi Arabia, said on Wednesday that it had detected and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward the north of Riyadh.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, meanwhile, claimed that the group had targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with numerous drones.
The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority said that three people sustained minor injuries and property damage occurred in attacks targeting the airports of Najran and Jizan in the country’s southwest on Monday evening.
The Houthis said on Monday that they had carried out three military operations targeting various locations in Saudi Arabia, including Najran and Jizan, as well as an Aramco refinery in Rabigh, in the Mecca region. According to the group’s statement, the operations used ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones.
Military activity in Yemen
The latest developments constitute the most extensive military escalation in Yemen since the relatively calm period created by the ceasefire that began in July and took effect in April 2022.
The fighting intensified in September. At the time, the Houthis took control of several critical positions in the provinces of Hudaydah and Taiz, including the strategic city of Al-Mukha and Mayyun Island, which overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The Yemeni army said on Monday that it had taken control of the Red Sea coastal city of Al-Mukha and the Bab al-Mandab area in the country’s southwest. The statement came after Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, announced the launch of an operation called “Yemen Dawn” against the Houthis.
Al-Alimi said the operation aimed to restore state institutions, retake the capital Sana’a and end Houthi rule.
The war in Yemen has continued since the Houthis seized control of the capital Sana’a and several provinces in September 2014. The Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in March 2015 to support the Yemeni government.
