Houthi missile and drone strikes on four Saudi cities wound 73 people and hit energy facilities

Cross-border strikes hit energy sites and airbase

Yemen's Houthi movement launched a coordinated barrage of ballistic missiles and drones targeting southern Saudi Arabia, hitting civilian, military, and economic infrastructure across four cities. The operation struck King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait alongside facilities owned by state oil producer Saudi Aramco in Abha, Najran, and the Red Sea port city of Jazan. Jazan houses a large refinery and power plant that had previously sustained damage in an attack several weeks earlier. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Energy confirmed that fires ignited at multiple energy installations, forcing authorities to temporarily suspend operations at several facilities. Global energy markets responded immediately, with Brent crude rising more than 2% on Tuesday to surpass $99 a barrel.

The armed forces carried out a broad operation deep into Saudi territory using dozens of ballistic missiles and drones against oil and economic installations as well as King Khalid Air Base.

Casualties and damage across four southern provinces

Saudi authorities confirmed that at least 73 people suffered injuries in the overnight bombardment, noting that women and children were among the wounded. The assault marks one of the largest strikes inside the kingdom since the regional war involving the United States, Israel, and Iran began in February 2026. The strikes followed footage released by Houthi media on Monday showing burning trucks near the Al-Wadiah border crossing after an attack on transport vehicles coming from Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry stated that the kingdom would take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty, while demanding an end to strikes against its territory and Red Sea tankers.

The coalition will take all necessary operational measures to deter this terrorist militia and resolutely confronts its hostile approach.

Retaliatory operations and clashes inside Yemen

Military exchanges intensified inside Yemen following the cross-border strikes. Saudi warplanes carried out four airstrikes in Yemen's Jubah district and the surrounding Marib area east of Sanaa on Tuesday. Houthi officials claimed their operations were a direct response to 121 Saudi airstrikes conducted over the preceding three days across al-Jawf, al-Bayda, Marib, and Taiz provinces. The group specifically pointed to an air raid on a central prison in al-Hazm, the capital of al-Jawf, which killed seven people, including a child, and injured seven others. The Houthis also claimed to have shot down Saudi reconnaissance drones over al-Jawf and al-Bayda, while pro-government Yemeni forces launched ground counteroffensives across multiple provinces aiming to advance toward Sanaa.

Regional energy disruption and humanitarian toll

The escalation follows the breakdown of an informal truce that had paused large-scale warfare since 2022, after a decade-long conflict that the United Nations estimates has killed at least 150,000 people. The renewed strikes threaten shipping lanes around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. This maritime corridor has gained added importance because Saudi Arabia has diverted petroleum shipments through the Red Sea to circumvent the ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. On the ground, the renewed fighting along Yemen's western coastline displaced more than 18,500 people over a three-day period, according to figures released by the International Organization for Migration.