Yemen's Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of air raids, missile strikes

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis on Monday accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out airstrikes around the country, as the rebels press a deadly offensive to seize territory bordering the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The attacks targeted Houthi positions across the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, which is divided between areas held by the rebels and those controlled the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government.

"The Saudi enemy targeted the provinces of Jawf, Al-Bayda, Marib and Taiz with several airstrikes and cruise missiles," said the Saba news agency, which is affiliated with the Houthi movement.

Days of fighting near the Red Sea coast have left more than 300 people dead and displaced hundreds of families as the Houthis try to capture land bordering the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The narrow waterway forms the southern entrance to the Red Sea, a shipping artery that has become vital for Saudi oil exports amid Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the US-Iran war.

The UN's special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, warned in a statement on Monday that the Houthi assault had "triggered increasingly intense clashes, threatening to further expand the conflict".

"A return to sustained large-scale fighting will carry grave consequences for civilians and make an already difficult path toward a political settlement even harder," he added.

Military sources within the government forces also reported the air raids and missile attacks to AFP. But Saudi Arabia did not announce any such strikes.

Most of the strikes were in Al-Bayda and Marib, targeting strategic positions, gatherings, and camps under Houthi control, the sources said on condition of anonymity.

On Saturday, a military official told AFP that Saudi airstrikes had targeted positions recently seized by the Houthis in Taiz governorate.

The Houthis and government forces have been fighting for days over control of Bab al-Mandab, marking the deadliest flare-up in Yemen since a 2022 ceasefire collapsed in July.

The Houthis, whose attacks seriously disrupted Red Sea shipping during the Gaza war, have also announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and have been targeting its ships and territory.