Houthis escalate attacks on Saudi Arabia as fighting intensifies near strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait
Saudi Arabia issued attack alerts Tuesday in several areas, including Jeddah, Taif and, for the first time in the current conflict, Mecca, as the Houthis expanded their ballistic missile and drone campaign after attacks wounded at least 13 people in southern Saudi Arabia on Monday.
Fighting also intensified along Yemen’s western coast near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where Yemeni government forces reported retaking territory from the Houthis in Taiz province, while the UN refugee agency said escalating hostilities have displaced more than 100,000 people inside Yemen and forced thousands to flee to Djibouti.
The conflict is increasingly drawing in regional powers, with reports that CENTCOM is coordinating Israeli intelligence sharing with Saudi Arabia, while Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo and both leaders pledged to protect freedom of navigation through Bab el-Mandeb, the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.
