Houthi attacks kill dozens in Yemen as UN warns of worst escalation since 2022 truce

Thursday strikes: the deadliest since 2022

Houthi forces launched a wave of missile and drone attacks on Thursday against military camps in the provinces of Marib and Hadramaut, both controlled by the internationally recognized government. The strikes killed at least 58 soldiers and wounded dozens, according to RFI and an earlier El Mundo report, making them the deadliest attacks since the UN-negotiated truce of April 2022. Other sources, including El Pais and a later El Mundo dispatch, put the death toll at 30 with at least 50 wounded. El Mundo reported that eight missiles were launched against the camps. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group used a "large" number of ballistic missiles and drones against troop concentrations at camps in al-Ruwaik, al-Abr, and al-Thaniyah, claiming the attacks killed and wounded "hundreds of Saudi mercenaries" and destroyed camps, weapons depots, and military vehicles in the border town of al-Wadi'ah.

Friday escalation: drones hit Marib and Saudi Arabia

On Friday morning, a Houthi drone strike hit a camp for displaced persons in Harib, south of Marib city, killing three government soldiers and wounding four, per the South24 news portal. The Health Ministry of the internationally recognized government said separate Houthi bombardment of residential neighborhoods and displaced camps in Marib killed at least two civilians and wounded 14. The Saudi-led coalition reported a Houthi attack on the Najran region in southern Saudi Arabia that wounded at least 11 civilians, including a four-year-old child. Houthi political bureau member Hizam al-Asad declared there would be no "security for Saudi invading forces or their mercenaries" on Yemeni territory.

UN warns of return to war

UN special envoy Hans Grundberg warned on Friday that Yemen faces the greatest risk of large-scale conflict resuming since the April 2022 truce.

“Yemen faces today a greater risk of a large-scale conflict resuming than at any other moment since the truce negotiated by the UN in April 2022.”

Grundberg cited Houthi attacks inside and outside Yemen, including strikes on civilian infrastructure, vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and the bombardment of Hadramaut and Marib. He said he remained convinced a diplomatic path still existed but that it would require political will and genuine commitment from all parties. The Swedish diplomat said he had maintained an "intense dialogue" with Yemeni actors, regional powers, and international allies to explore options for de-escalation.

Saudi-led diplomatic and military response

Saudi Arabia signed the "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement" with Turkey and Pakistan on Friday during a joint defense summit in Jeddah. The pact states that any armed attack against one of the three states will be considered an attack against all, aimed at strengthening "collective deterrence." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were in Riyadh for bilateral talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia also announced plans for a multinational maritime defense coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea, backed by 14 countries including Turkey and Pakistan. A source close to the Saudi army told AFP that Marib was a "red line" and that the coalition would not allow the balance of power on the ground to change, while saying it did not seek escalation. Saudi Arabia had diverted 60% of its oil exports through the Red Sea after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, making the Houthi naval blockade there a direct threat to Saudi oil revenues.

Yemeni army strikes back

On Saturday, the Yemeni armed forces announced a military operation against Houthi positions, personnel, and capabilities across multiple points on the front lines. Colonel Majed al-Nuzayli, the armed forces spokesperson, said the operation targeted Houthi elements and equipment on various fronts, describing it as a response to what he called "repeated, treacherous and terrorist" attacks by the Houthi militia that had killed and wounded soldiers and civilians. The military called on the population and Yemeni tribes to support government forces and maintain social cohesion against what it called attempts by external interests to drag the country into regional conflicts.