Sanaa (AFP) – Yemen's Houthis said Sunday that Saudi Arabia had launched more than 50 strikes against their positions in 24 hours, after the Iran-backed group claimed a rare drone and missile attack on a military base in the kingdom.
The Houthis have been engaged in renewed fighting with Saudi-backed government forces since Yemen's civil war reignited in July, when the group declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea.
The latest clashes follow a week-long Houthi offensive that culminated in the group capturing Yemen's Red Sea coast, cementing their hold on the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The waterway is a vital artery for Saudi oil exports as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed amid the US-Iran war.
Yayha Saree, the group's military spokesman, said "the criminal Saudi enemy has carried out 58 airstrikes in the past 24 hours" in a post on Telegram.
The Houthis carried out their heaviest missile and drone attack in years this week against Saudi Arabia, setting oil sites ablaze and wounding 73.
The group's Almasirah TV channel reported on Sunday that "Saudi aviation carried out two strikes" on Saada, a stronghold for the group.
It also reported artillery fire in the border district of Monabbih, in the same province.
Later on Sunday, Almasirah reported two Saudi strikes on a market in the northern Al-Jawf province.
The Houthis have reported more than 100 strikes against their positions since Tuesday, with no confirmation from Riyadh so far.
Up to now, the strikes have mainly focused on the front lines, in support of Yemeni government forces, without targeting the Houthis' heart of power, including the capital Sanaa.
Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital and forced out the internationally recognised government.
They then fought a Saudi-led coalition from 2015 until a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022. The conflict had since been dormant before it roared back to life in July.
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