Houthis strike Saudi base with ballistic missiles, drones

Missile Strike on Saudi Base

Yemen’s Houthi group said early Sunday it had carried out a coordinated strike using ballistic missiles and drones against a military installation in southern Saudi Arabia. The attack targeted weapons depots and command facilities at the Sharurah base, according to their military spokesman Yahya Saree.

Saree stated in a post on the social media platform X that the operation employed a large barrage of ballistic missiles and drones. He claimed the strikes successfully hit their targets, causing significant damage to the military facilities.

Warnings of Escalation

The spokesman said the attack was conducted in response to continued Saudi military operations in Yemen. He warned of larger strikes deeper inside Saudi territory if the kingdom persists with its current campaign against the impoverished Arab nation.

Saudi authorities have not issued an official response to the Houthi claim. Earlier on Saturday, Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense reported that a projectile had landed in the Al-Tuwal governorate in the southwestern Jazan region, injuring two people.

Territorial Gains

The cross-border incident comes amid a dramatic reshaping of Yemen’s territorial map following renewed clashes between Houthi fighters and government forces that erupted in July after years of relative calm. The Houthis now maintain full control over the western Al-Hudaydah province and have advanced through western Taiz province, capturing the strategic coastal city of Mokha and its Red Sea port.

Their territorial gains have brought the group within striking distance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — one of the world’s most vital maritime chokepoints. Government forces have simultaneously pressed forward in the northern Al-Jawf province along the Saudi border, approaching the provincial capital Al-Hazm.

Protracted Conflict

Clashes are continuing on multiple fronts across Marib, Al-Bayda, and Al-Dhale provinces as both sides seek to consolidate their positions. Yemen has remained locked in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and multiple provinces in late 2014.

A Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened militarily in March 2015 to support the internationally recognized Yemeni government, launching sustained operations that have devastated the country’s infrastructure and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.