The Houthis, who have ruled Yemen’s capital of Sanaa for four years, said they had witnessed “new” Saudi airstrikes Wednesday, while Riyadh claimed the group mounted a “cowardly” drone attack on the holiest city of Islam, Mecca, on Tuesday. The Houthis immediately rejected the Saudi early morning claim that they intercepted a drone en route to Mecca and branded it as a “pure lie”. The charge, although denied, led to a racket of protest from the Muslim world.
Saudi Arabia has stepped in in a greater role in the renewed conflict between the Houthis and the Yemen government over the past few days, as the Houthis have imposed a maritime blockade on Yemeni and Saudi ships in the Red Sea. Houthi rebels have taken control of all of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab strait last week. The move was a deadly blow to a vital artery to Saudi oil exports, amid the ongoing unrest in the Middle East that has been affecting the Strait of Hormuz.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia condemned the alleged attack, calling it a terrorist attack, and reiterated the kingdom’s right to protect its territory, pilgrims and the two holy mosques. Hazem al-Assad, a member of the Houthis’ politburo, suggested the accusations were an old ploy to mislead the people. In the meantime, the spokesman of the Houthis military forces, Yahya Saree, claimed that Saudi warplanes have carried out 40 airstrikes over the last 24 hours in the provinces of Taiz, Marib and Hodeidah.
Saudi forces have already launched over 450 strikes in the past week, Saree said. The Houthis then alleged to have attacked a Saudi air base and killed a Saudi fighter jet, in response the Saudi government claimed to have targeted a Houthi base in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu and a state oil facility. The residents of the city said they had been startled by receiving cell phone alerts of an incoming attack, but that normal life is resumed quickly in the city. The Saudi Ministry of Defense had already released video of advanced air defense batteries strategically deployed around Mecca in advance of this year’s pilgrimage.
The alleged targeting of Mecca garnered international condemnations in no time. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which comprises the 57 Muslim countries, denounced the vile attacks and the Arab League described the situation as of “exreme gravity”. The governments of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan condemned the attack and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye issued a strong condemnation.
The conflict in Yemen, which had mostly been dormant since 2022, resumed in July when the Houthis forces attacked the government troops with a massive offensive. Over 100,000 people have been displaced due to the conflict in the poorest nation in the Arabian Peninsula, according to the UN. Yemen’s permanent UN representative pointed out the government’s efforts to restore national institutions in all parts of the country, and called on the international community to exert “urgent efforts”.
In the Al-Labanat camp, located close to the Saudi border, the Yemeni government troops are now fighting Houthis for the control of the camp. If the strategically important location was captured, it would open the way to Al-Hazm, the capital of Al-Jawf governorate, which is 30 miles away.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have demanded to ensure free passage in the waterway, which is the source of the Suez Canal, amid the Houthis’ current attacks on Saudi ships in the Red Sea. The Crown Prince himself sought U.S. intervention in Saudi’s conflict, which was denied by U.S. President Donald Trump, but an U.S. military task force still aids the Saudi side on intelligence and planning. The Houthis insist that there is nothing to stop shipping from entering or leaving the port of Chabahar through the Bab al-Mandab strait other than Saudi ships, but the conflict has made the strait less appealing to international shipping companies.
