Coalition vows firm response as Houthis report renewed airstrikes across Yemen

Saudi-led coalition promises a strong response after Houthi missile and drone attacks injure 13 civilians in three Saudi cities.

15 Sep 2026

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels accused Saudi Arabia of launching dozens of airstrikes across the country overnight, after the Saudi-led coalition threatened a firm response to missile and drone attacks that injured 13 civilians in three Saudi cities.

The coalition, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif caused minor to moderate injuries and damaged seven homes and two vehicles.

“The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will deal with these attacks responsibly and firmly to protect the sovereignty of the kingdom,” coalition spokesperson Major-General Turki al-Maliki said.

Later on Tuesday, the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, said Saudi Arabia conducted 54 overnight air raids across the governorates of Lahj, Taiz, al-Jawf, Marib and Hajjah.

The group said one strike hit the government complex in Khadir district of Taiz governorate, causing injuries.

Houthi-aligned media reported that three civilians, including two children, were killed and at least two others injured in the Dhubab and Maqbanah districts of Taiz province.

Saudi Arabia has not publicly commented on the Houthi allegations. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.

The reported strikes followed a Houthi claim on Monday that it launched dozens of missiles and drones at King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait. The group said the targets included hangars, radar systems, runways and ammunition depots, and described the attacks as retaliation for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen.

The Houthis also said Saudi warplanes had carried out 300 air raids across Yemen during the preceding five days.

The exchange of attacks comes after the Houthis rapidly advanced across western Yemen last week, taking control of much of the Red Sea coast and moving toward areas near the strategically important Bab al-Mandeb strait.

The strait is a crucial route for regional energy and commercial shipping, with the ongoing US-Iran war causing significant disruption to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government said they advanced in the contested Taiz province on Monday after retaking positions from the Houthis. They also said they struck Houthi fighters and equipment in Dhubab and al-Khokha along the Red Sea coast.

Al Jazeera could not independently verify the competing battlefield claims.

Houthi and Yemeni government officials said the Houthis had seized the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands in the southern Red Sea, approximately 160km (100 miles) north of Bab al-Mandeb. Their recent advances also include Mayyun Island at the mouth of the Red Sea.

Yemen’s more than decade-long war reignited in July, when the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia and began attacking ships in the Red Sea, threatening the 2022 UN-brokered ceasefire that had halted large-scale violence.

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