Saudi Arabia says Houthi attacks from Yemen leave at least 73 injured

A series of Houthi attacks from Yemen wounded 73 civilians in southwestern Saudi Arabia, according to the coalition led by Riyadh, which supports Yemen’s government and has promised retaliation against the Iran-aligned rebel group.

Coalition spokesman General Turki Al-Maliki said the strikes targeted “civilian and economic sites” in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran. He said the coalition would take “all necessary measures and actions” to address the sources of the threat and neutralise the danger they posed.

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civilian and economic sites

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said the kingdom had a legitimate right to take all necessary steps to defend its sovereignty. It called for an immediate end to what it described as all forms of escalation by the militia, as well as its continuing threats to maritime navigation.

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all necessary measures and actions

Earlier, the Houthi-linked Ansarollah media outlet said the rebels had used drones and missiles to strike Abha International Airport, King Khalid Air Base and facilities belonging to oil giant Aramco in Abha and Jizan.

The exchange came after an escalation in Yemen. The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of bombing parts of the country, including a prison in Al-Hazm in Jawf province, where a provincial official told AFP that 11 people were killed. The rebels also launched a new offensive last week aimed in part at advancing toward areas near the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb strait.

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The Kingdom reaffirms its legitimate right to take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty.