Saudi Coalition and Houthis Exchange Deadly Missile and Air Strikes

The Saudi-led coalition and Houthi rebels engaged in a series of deadly escalations on Thursday, characterized by ballistic missile launches and widespread airstrikes. Saudi forces intercepted three Houthi missiles targeting Riyadh and the Eastern Province, prompting emergency warnings for residents in Riyadh, Al-Kharj, and Najran. In retaliation, Saudi airstrikes hit residential areas in western Yemen and a crowded market and fuel station in al-Hazm, killing at least 39 people across multiple sites, including children and women.

Simultaneously, the conflict intensified in Taiz, where Governor Nabil Shamsan declared the city is in famine due to a Houthi siege that began in early October. Shamsan reported that Houthi forces seized the city's last outside water source and blocked cooking gas, leaving hospitals nearly without oxygen. The World Food Program stated it cannot reach over 600,000 people in the city. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi dismissed these reports as "Saudi-fabricated claims," asserting that humanitarian routes remain open.

This surge in violence follows the July collapse of a 2022 truce after an Iranian aircraft landed in Sanaa. Since hostilities resumed, United Nations figures indicate over 1,600 deaths and 275,000 displaced people in Yemen. The Houthis have further expanded their campaign by declaring a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and targeting the Riyadh airport, disrupting the kingdom's economic diversification plans.