Houthis Launch Missile Strikes Against Saudi Arabia and Yemen

The Houthi movement launched a series of missile and drone strikes against Saudi-aligned targets across Yemen and Saudi Arabia, marking a significant resurgence in hostilities. The operations targeted the Sahn al-Jinn military installation in Marib and residential neighborhoods, resulting in two deaths and 14 injuries. In Saudi Arabia, strikes on the border city of Najran injured 11 civilians.

Beyond terrestrial attacks, the Houthis targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as part of a maritime blockade. In response, the Government of Saudi Arabia conducted retaliatory airstrikes in Hodeidah and pledged to utilize legal mechanisms to secure merchant shipping routes. Simultaneously, the Government of Yemen engaged Houthi forces in Hodeidah and carried out a raid on Sanaa International Airport.

These escalations occur as Iran negotiates sanctions relief and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with the United States. The surge in violence is viewed as a potential effort to apply pressure during those negotiations or to seize oil-rich provinces in Marib, Hadhramaut, and Hodeidah to strengthen the Houthi economy.