CAIRO, Sep 13 – Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have claimed a fresh series of missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia, adding to growing tensions around the Red Sea as the rebels continue a rapid advance along Yemen’s western coast.
The latest claims came overnight as Yemen’s internationally recognized government warned that the Houthi gains represented a serious setback and promised to reorganize its forces for a counteroffensive. The developments have opened another potentially dangerous front in the wider conflict involving Iran and its regional rivals, while raising fresh concerns about commercial shipping through one of the world’s most important maritime routes.
The Houthis said they had targeted a Saudi military facility in the Sharurah area of Najran region. Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree announced the operation in a statement but did not provide evidence to support the claim or specify exactly when the alleged attack took place.
Saudi authorities separately reported a projectile landing near the Yemeni border in al-Tawwal governorate along the Red Sea. The Saudi civil defense said two people were injured and that a mosque and several other buildings were damaged. Saudi officials blamed the Houthis for the incident.
The Saudi civil defense also reported that warning sirens were activated in Sharurah, although it did not report casualties or property damage there.
The latest exchange comes after the Houthis seized the strategically important port city of Mokha and an island near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in recent days. Their advance has increased concern over the security of a maritime passage that provides an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz, where tensions have also intensified during the broader Iran conflict.
The Houthi movement has said it is targeting Saudi interests and has declared a blockade while maintaining that other commercial shipping should not be threatened. Despite those assurances, the rapid military developments have unsettled markets, with oil prices rising again as traders assess the possibility of a wider disruption to regional energy and shipping routes.
The fighting has also renewed fears among Yemenis that the country could slide back into a devastating nationwide conflict after years of relative calm.
Yemen’s government promises to regroup after Houthi advance
Yemen’s internationally recognized government is facing mounting pressure following the collapse of its forces in several areas along the western coast.
Sultan al-Arada, a member of Yemen’s ruling Presidential Leadership Council and governor of Marib province, described the loss of Mokha and other coastal positions as a “painful and regrettable” development. In a televised interview broadcast late Saturday, he said government forces were regrouping and would eventually return to the fighting.
“Painful” was also the word used by al-Arada to describe the developments as Yemen enters what government officials see as a new and dangerous stage of the conflict.
The government has blamed coordination problems among its military units and allied armed groups for the sudden Houthi advances. A senior military official told reporters on Friday that the lack of coordination between Yemen’s army and several militias had provided the Houthis with what he called a valuable opportunity.
The official spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss military matters publicly.
The same official expressed surprise that Saudi Arabia’s air force had not intervened to prevent the fall of Mokha. The port is located roughly 50 miles, or 80 kilometers, from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, giving the area considerable strategic importance for both Yemen and international shipping.
The National Resistance, a government-aligned force that previously controlled parts of the western coastline, has provided one of the clearest estimates of the recent fighting’s human cost. The group said more than 500 government fighters had been killed along the west coast during the four weeks since Aug. 9. It reported that another 1,500 fighters had been wounded.
The National Resistance also claimed that more than 1,000 Houthi fighters had been killed in fighting in the provinces of Hodeida and Taiz. The figures could not be independently verified.
The force is commanded by Tariq Saleh, a nephew of Yemen’s former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh. In a statement, the National Resistance vowed to continue fighting until what it described as the liberation of Yemen from Iran’s proxies.
The renewed fighting marks a major reversal for Yemen. A ceasefire that began in 2022 had largely halted the country’s nationwide civil war, although the conflict was never formally resolved. The latest Houthi offensive has now driven large numbers of civilians from their homes and increased fears of another prolonged war.
The International Organization for Migration said Sunday that more than 85,000 people had been displaced since the beginning of September as fighting intensified.
The humanitarian pressure is extending beyond Yemen’s borders. Thousands of Yemenis have attempted to cross the Bab el-Mandeb toward Djibouti, often making the journey in dangerous conditions.
Houthi advance brings fighters closer to US base in Djibouti
The strategic consequences of the Houthi advance extend beyond Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
The rebels’ new positions have brought them to within about 20 miles, or 32 kilometers, of the U.S. military base in Djibouti, located on the opposite side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The base is a major American military facility in Africa and plays an important role in U.S. operations across the region.
Djibouti also hosts military facilities belonging to several other countries, including China, France and Japan. The concentration of foreign forces in the small Horn of Africa nation highlights the strategic importance of the waterway.
The Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a critical passage for international trade. Any sustained deterioration in security around the strait could increase shipping costs and force commercial vessels to consider longer routes.
The situation is already creating concern in financial markets. The Houthi declaration of a blockade, combined with their territorial gains near the coast, has prompted traders to closely monitor developments even as the rebels say they do not intend to target other commercial vessels.
For Saudi Arabia, the latest attacks represent another security challenge along its southern border. Riyadh has backed Yemen’s internationally recognized government for years and has previously fought directly against Houthi forces. The latest escalation could therefore put renewed pressure on Saudi Arabia to decide how far it is willing to intervene as its Yemeni allies attempt to regain lost territory.
Djibouti is also dealing with the immediate humanitarian consequences. The International Organization for Migration said more than 2,000 Yemenis had already reached the country amid the latest fighting.
Djibouti’s Economy and Finance Minister Ilyas M. Dawaleh said on X that the country’s navy, coast guard and specialized agencies were carrying out rescue operations and providing emergency assistance to people arriving from Yemen.
The growing displacement, renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia and Houthi gains near the Bab el-Mandeb have transformed the situation from a largely domestic Yemeni confrontation into a broader regional security concern.
For civilians, the consequences are already being felt through displacement and renewed uncertainty. For Saudi Arabia and other countries operating around the Red Sea, the latest Houthi offensive raises the prospect of another prolonged confrontation. And for international shipping, the rebels’ growing presence near the Bab el-Mandeb has added another layer of risk to a maritime corridor that global trade cannot easily avoid.