The Houthis have been targeting Saudi airports, oil and gas installations, and military bases with missiles and drones, citing retaliation for attacks on the territories they control in western Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.
A Houthi missile attack on Saturday claimed 13 lives at Riyadh International Airport, marking the deadliest strike in Saudi Arabia in over ten years.
Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis to intensify their conflict with the kingdom.
Iran continues to arm, train, and support the Houthi militia, violating UN Security Council resolutions, Iran’s deputy foreign minister Rayed Krimly told reporters, according to AFP.
He added, “We believe that the latest escalation by the Houthis is encouraged by Iran.”
Iran’s government has not responded immediately, though it has previously denied supplying weapons to the Houthis and said it only offers political support.
Iran’s foreign minister also indicated readiness to provide “any assistance necessary to facilitate the start of talks” between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.
Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that began in 2014 when the Houthis seized power in Sanaa, ousting the internationally recognised government. The conflict intensified in 2015 after a Saudi‑led coalition of Arab states intervened to attempt to restore the government’s authority.
An informal four‑year ceasefire started to collapse in July after the Houthis declared a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities, and Red Sea tankers.
The Houthis said they were retaliating for what they describe as a Saudi blockade of their territory, in addition to an airstrike on Sanaa airport that they blamed on the kingdom.
The conflict escalated further in September when the Houthis captured a portion of Yemen’s southwestern Red Sea coastline near the Bab al‑Mandab Strait, a critical chokepoint for global shipping. Their advance helped push oil prices higher after six months of war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.
Pro‑government forces reported last week that they had recaptured territory overlooking the Bab al‑Mandab after launching a major counter‑offensive supported by Saudi airstrikes.
Since 6 August, at least 1,282 people have been killed and 5,890 injured in the fighting across Yemen, according to the government’s health ministry.
The United Nations reports that another 201,000 people have been displaced and that suspected cholera cases have surged alarmingly.
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