Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched a fresh wave of ballistic missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabian airports and military installations, pulling the kingdom deeper into an expanding regional conflict that is also threatening one of the world's most critical maritime trade routes.
The rebel military spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced via social media that the group had targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, along with Abha airport, an air base in Khamis Mushait, and two military bases in the southern regions of Najran and Asir — all located near the Yemeni border. No independent evidence was provided to support the claims.
Flight tracking data indicated brief disruptions to air traffic at Riyadh, while the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, Major General Turki al-Malki, confirmed that a ballistic missile had been intercepted north of the capital. New cage-like protective fencing has been erected this week around fuel tanks and equipment at a Saudi Aramco facility near Riyadh airport, underscoring the heightened security posture.
Saudi Arabia Fights Back With Major Offensive
The missile and drone strikes come as Saudi Arabia and allied Yemeni forces launch a large-scale ground and air offensive aimed at dislodging the Houthis from strategic territory they seized roughly a month ago along Yemen's western Red Sea coast, including positions on and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — a chokepoint through which approximately 12 per cent of global trade passes.
Coalition officials announced on Monday that several key areas around the strait had been recaptured. Al-Malki has pledged "full operational support" to Yemeni government forces until the Houthis are, in his words, "eliminated," with the coalition deploying around 100 fighter jets in support. A stated longer-term aim includes retaking Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital.
The offensive was triggered after rebels seized the town of Turbah, cutting a key road linking Taiz — Yemen's third-largest city — with Aden, the seat of the internationally recognised government. It is understood that the United States has provided support including intelligence sharing, target identification, and operational planning.
The Houthis also claimed a missile strike on Aden in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with explosions reported around 2am local time.
Ground Fighting Centres on Key Towns and Trade Routes
The most intense ground combat has been reported in and around Dhubab, a town roughly 54 kilometres south of the port city of Mokha, which the Houthis captured last month. Clashes have also been reported in the Waziayah district of southwestern Taiz province — an area that links Yemen's interior highlands with the Red Sea coast and controls access roads to the Bab el-Mandeb.
The Houthis' grip on Red Sea coastal positions had given them improved surveillance capabilities to enforce a blockade against shipping with ties to Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter. Retaking those positions is therefore seen as critical not only militarily but economically — both for Riyadh and for global energy markets. This latest escalation forms part of a broader pattern of the Saudi-led coalition and Houthis trading strikes as Yemen's conflict deepens.
A Calculated Strategy to Raise Saudi Economic Costs
Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War say the Houthi campaign against civilian and economic infrastructure is deliberate. In a recent assessment, the think tank wrote that "the Houthis believe that they can maximise Saudi economic costs and compel Saudi Arabia to surrender to Houthi demands by striking civilian infrastructure, such as oil facilities and airports."
The strikes fit a broader Iranian strategic framework in which proxy forces apply sustained pressure on regional rivals through asymmetric means — attacks that are costly to defend against but relatively cheap to execute. The conflict sits squarely within a wider confrontation involving Tehran, raising concerns that are being closely tracked internationally. Related tensions have already seen ship attacks linked to Iran declared amid stalled peace talks, further complicating the regional picture.
Humanitarian Toll Mounts as Ceasefire Collapses
The renewed fighting has effectively ended a four-year ceasefire, reigniting Yemen's long-running civil war with devastating consequences for civilians. According to the United Nations, close to 1,000 people have been killed in the latest round of hostilities, with nearly 175,000 displaced from their homes.
With the Saudi-led coalition vowing to press its offensive and the Houthis showing no sign of scaling back their cross-border strikes, the conflict appears set to intensify further — keeping the Red Sea's critical trade lanes, as well as Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure, firmly in the line of fire.
