Yemen’s Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of carrying out 26 attacks in 24 hours as fighting intensifies and displacement rises across Yemen.
Yemen’s Houthi movement has accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out 26 attacks on areas under its control within 24 hours as fighting intensifies between the Iran-aligned group and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.
The Houthis claimed on September 18 that Saudi attacks on their positions had reached approximately 300 over the preceding week. Saudi authorities had not independently confirmed those figures, and the locations and impact of all the alleged strikes could not immediately be verified.
The allegations come amid a sharp escalation that has revived Yemen’s long-running civil war after several years of reduced hostilities.
Fighting Intensifies Across Yemen
Yemen’s internationally recognised government said its forces killed 30 Houthi fighters and wounded more than 60 during clashes in the al-Waziiyah district of Taiz province.
The Houthis, meanwhile, have made territorial advances along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including around the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The narrow waterway connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is an essential route for international trade and energy shipments.
Tens of thousands of Houthi supporters also demonstrated in Sanaa against Saudi Arabia’s military involvement in Yemen.
At least five people, including three children, were reportedly killed in attacks by the opposing sides earlier in the week. Saudi Arabia said one person died in Taif governorate following the interception of a Houthi drone, while Houthi-linked media reported casualties from Saudi strikes in Taiz and Abs, according to Al Jazeera.
UN Warns of Wider Regional Conflict
The United Nations Security Council condemned continuing Houthi missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, saying they had caused civilian casualties and damaged energy infrastructure.
Council members also warned that fighting near Bab al-Mandeb and threats to commercial shipping could widen the conflict and disrupt global trade. They called for an immediate halt to Houthi attacks and expressed concern about the worsening humanitarian crisis.
The renewed fighting has displaced at least 112,000 people within Yemen over two weeks, while nearly 3,000 others have crossed the Gulf of Aden to Djibouti in overcrowded boats, the UN migration agency told Reuters.
With both sides continuing military operations, there is currently little indication that the latest escalation will end soon.
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