Major Houthi Assault Kills Dozens of Yemeni Troops as Saudi Arabia Warns of Wider Military Escalation
At least 30 Yemeni government soldiers have been killed in coordinated missile and drone attacks launched by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement on military camps in the provinces of Marib and Hadramout, marking one of the deadliest escalations in Yemen since the 2022 truce. Government officials said the death toll could rise further as dozens of wounded soldiers continue to receive treatment.
According to Yemeni military sources, the Houthis targeted several government positions using ballistic missiles, armed drones and other precision-guided weapons. The attacks struck camps housing forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, causing heavy casualties and significant damage to military infrastructure. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed responsibility, describing the strikes as a response to what the group called military build-ups by government and Saudi-backed forces.
The violence quickly spread beyond Yemen’s borders. Saudi Arabia reported that Houthi shelling in the southern border region of Najran injured 11 civilians, including a four-year-old child. Saudi military officials accused the Houthis of deliberately targeting civilian areas and condemned the attacks as a violation of international humanitarian law. Riyadh also warned that further Houthi aggression could trigger a broader military response.
Saudi officials indicated they are preparing contingency plans that could include a coordinated sea and land offensive against Houthi-held positions if attacks continue. The Kingdom has also been strengthening maritime security in the Red Sea and consulting regional partners amid concerns that the Houthis may expand operations against commercial shipping and critical infrastructure. Analysts believe the latest violence could jeopardise years of fragile de-escalation efforts between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.
The renewed fighting comes amid heightened tensions across the Middle East, where conflicts involving Iran, Israel and allied armed groups have intensified. Western and Gulf officials fear that the Houthis, who are widely regarded as being backed by Iran, could become increasingly active as part of a broader regional confrontation, raising the risk of attacks on strategic shipping lanes and energy infrastructure.
Yemen’s civil war, which began in 2014 after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, has evolved into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Although a UN-brokered truce in 2022 significantly reduced large-scale fighting, the latest attacks represent one of the most serious breaches of that relative calm. The escalating violence is expected to draw renewed international diplomatic efforts to prevent the conflict from spilling further across the region.
