Saudi Arabia pledged a firm military response after Houthi drone and missile strikes wounded 13 civilians across three southern cities on September 15, 2026. The escalation follows a sweeping rebel offensive that seized Yemen’s Red Sea coast and key maritime chokepoints amid a widening regional conflict.
Saudi Arabia Vows Firm Retaliation After Southern Airbase and Cities Suffer Strikes
The Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognized government promised a decisive military reckoning on Tuesday after a wave of coordinated projectile attacks struck urban and military infrastructure inside the kingdom. According to coalition officials, Houthi missile and drone strikes targeted Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Taif, leaving 13 civilians with minor to moderate injuries and damaging seven homes alongside two vehicles.
Major-General Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the coalition’s Joint Forces Command, stated that the military will deal with these attacks responsibly and firmly to protect the sovereignty of the kingdom.
The barrage included a large-scale assault on the King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait, where the rebels targeted hangars, radar installations, runways, and ammunition depots. Residents near the military installation described terrifying overnight explosions. A local resident in Khamis Mushait told AFP that he heard intense blasts
that left fires burning for a long time
, adding, Honestly, we couldn’t sleep at all.
Coalition Air Strikes Pound Yemen as Ground Fighting Intensifies Across Multiple Fronts
In response to the cross-border bombardments, the Saudi-led coalition launched dozens of punitive air raids across Yemen. Houthi authorities reported that Saudi warplanes executed 54 air raids over a 24-hour window across the governorates of Lahj, Taiz, al-Jawf, Marib, and Hajjah. Strikes hit government complex buildings in the Khadir district of Taiz, with Houthi-aligned media reporting three civilian deaths—including two children—and multiple injuries in the Dhubab and Maqbanah districts.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed that F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets launched from Saudi airbases in Khamis Mushait and Taif carried out the operations. Hazem al-Assad, a member of the Houthi politburo, warned that Yemeni response will continue and escalate as long as they (Saudi Arabia) persist in their aggression against our people
.
The aerial exchanges follow a lightning ground offensive by the Houthi movement that upended the military balance in western Yemen. The rebels seized control of the remaining stretches of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, along with the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands and Mayyun Island near the mouth of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The strategic waterway has seen a surge in reliance for energy and commercial shipping after the wider US-Iran war choked off traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Regional Diplomacy Stalls and US Intervention Requests Falter
The flare-up has rippled across regional and international capitals. A proposed diplomatic summit between Gulf states and Iran regarding the future of the Strait of Hormuz was postponed after Tehran accused Riyadh of using the fighting in Yemen as a pretext to stall talks. Meanwhile, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei insisted that Tehran does not interfere in Yemeni military operations, asserting to reporters that the Houthis are entirely independent actors who make their decisions based on their own interests
.
The visit followed earlier reporting from Axios that the Saudi crown prince had twice requested direct U.S. military strikes against the Houthis from President Donald Trump, requests that were reportedly turned down. President Trump acknowledged speaking with the Saudi leader but maintained a cautious public stance, telling reporters, Everything’s gonna work out fine and dandy.
Humanitarian Toll Mounts as Tens of Thousands Flee the Renewed War
As military forces clash from the Red Sea shoreline to the southern Saudi border, the human cost continues to climb. The United Nations migration agency reported that nearly 86,000 people have fled their homes since early September, with subsequent updates from aid agencies pushing the displacement tally higher across the country.
Sultan al-Arada, a member of Yemen’s ruling presidential council and governor of Marib province, acknowledged in a televised broadcast that the sudden collapse of government forces along the western coast was painful and regrettable. Government forces have since attempted to regroup, launching counter-attacks and airstrikes in the contested Taiz province in an effort to regain lost ground.
Читайте также
