Houthi Missile Strikes Target Saudi Assets and Commercial Ships

The Houthi movement launched a wave of ballistic missile and drone strikes between August 9 and August 14, 2026, targeting military and maritime assets across Yemen. The operations focused on the port city of Mokha, the Tadawin military camp in Marib, and the Al-Abr District in Hadramout. In Hadramout, a drone strike on a National Shield Forces base killed three soldiers and wounded 15 others.

Maritime escalations included a double-tap missile attack in the Bab al-Mandab Strait on the commercial vessel Tihamah. While initially reported as Saudi-owned, the ship flew a Tanzanian flag and was owned by Egyptian and Yemeni companies. The strike killed six people, including crew members from Pakistan and Indonesia, and two rescue workers. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sarea claimed the broader campaign targeted Saudi troop concentrations and weapons depots, though the Government of Saudi Arabia maintains it has no forces inside Yemen.

In response to the strikes, Saudi military units shelled the Bani Ma'ain area in Sa’ada Province. Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, vowed that the government would respond to the aggression while urging the Houthis to join the political process. These attacks follow a maritime blockade imposed by the Houthis on July 20 against Saudi-linked shipping, threatening the stability of a 2022 United Nations-brokered truce.