Even as the US and Iran try to resolve their conflict, another war has reignited in the Middle East as Yemen’s Iran-supported Houthi rebels attack key military and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.
The latest round of hostilities was triggered by an attack at the Houthi-controlled Sanaa airport by government forces to thwart a landing attempt by an aircraft from Iran. It led to more attacks and counter-attacks. Riyadh has vowed to retaliate.
On Monday, Saudi Arabia said that Houthi attacks against military sites, oil facilities and other infrastructure in the southwestern cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jizan and Najran injured 73 civilians, including women and children.
Soon after, the Houthis announced a “maritime embargo” against Saudi Arabia and started targeting Saudi oil facilities, airports and oil tankers in the Red Sea with drones and missiles.
The latest round of conflict between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognised government is in its most-serious phase since a United Nations brokered peace ended 8 years of flooding fighting in 2022.
Yemeni government forces and the Houthis were engaged in fighting in the Yemeni provinces of Taiz, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale and Al-Hudaydah on Wednesday, leaving several people dead, according to Anadolu news agency. Meanwhile, the attacks on Saudi Arabia have triggered questions if it will operationalise the Muslim NATO, the security group of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The Houthis have also claimed to have struck several trucks carrying arms and ammunition for the Yemeni government forces. In Riyadh, the Houthi emergence was seen as a security threat for Saudi Arabia. The effort was unsuccessful.
The latest round of conflict between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognised government is in its most-serious phase since a United Nations brokered peace ended 8 years of flooding fighting in 2022. They have also accused Saudi Arabia of attacking a prison in Yemen that killed 23 people. Houthi forces seized control of the capital Sanaa in September 2014, triggering a devastating civil war. In 2015, Riyada formed a coalition of the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt and others, and intervened militarily to restore power to Yemen’s government.
Pakistan’s defence minister has said it could.
