Saudi air strikes hit Yemen after Houthi missile barrage injures 73 in southern kingdom

Cross-border strikes intensify

Saudi aircraft conducted dozens of air raids across Yemen following rebel missile and drone strikes against the kingdom. On Wednesday, Yemeni Houthi authorities reported that Saudi aircraft carried out 54 air strikes across five Yemeni provinces within a 12-hour period, targeting sites in Al-Jawf, Marib, Taiz, Hodeida, and Saada. On Thursday morning, Houthi military officials reported about 40 further Saudi air strikes hitting Yemeni territory.

In the past 12 hours, Saudi aviation carried out 54 air strikes and targeted the provinces of Al-Jawf, Marib, Taiz, Hodeida, and Saada.

The Saudi government did not immediately comment on the reported strike numbers. However, officials in Riyadh reaffirmed on Tuesday the kingdom's legitimate right to undertake all measures required to protect its national sovereignty.

Missile barrages target southern Saudi territory

The Saudi air operations followed an extensive Houthi attack on Tuesday that injured 73 people across Saudi Arabia and forced the temporary suspension of several oil facilities. The rebel forces continued their cross-border campaign on Wednesday evening, targeting southern Saudi infrastructure and urban centres with salvos of ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. An attack alert was briefly issued in Khamis Mushait, an area near the Yemeni border that had also been struck the previous day.

This Wednesday, September 9, 2026, the militia launched several ballistic missiles and drones toward the cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Jizan.

Coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki announced that projectiles were directed at Khamis Mushait, Abha, and Jizan, without reporting casualties from the Wednesday strikes. The disruption from the exchanges contributed to rising energy market tensions, with oil prices approaching $100 per barrel under pressure from the attacks.

Strategic battlegrounds around Hodeida and Bab el-Mandeb

Ground and air engagements have concentrated on critical infrastructure and key waterways across the region. According to the Institute for the Study of War, the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida could represent the ultimate objective of Yemeni government troops supported by the Saudi-led coalition. The institute reported that Hodeida is essential for moving civilian goods and military supplies to Houthi forces, and its loss would represent a severe operational setback.

At the same time, Houthi forces opened a wide ground offensive to push toward territory bordering the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait. The waterway links Asian trade routes to Europe through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Its commercial significance increased after Iranian actions closed the Strait of Hormuz on the opposite side of the Arabian peninsula. Since the launch of the Houthi offensive on Thursday, September 3, 2026, clashes have caused more than 500 deaths in Yemen, predominantly among combatants on both sides.

Breakdown of the post-2022 truce

The current wave of fighting follows the collapse of a relative truce that had held the conflict in check since 2022. Between 2014 and 2022, the war between Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces killed hundreds of thousands of people, plunging Yemen, the poorest nation in the Arabian peninsula, into severe humanitarian distress.

Hostilities resumed in July 2026 when Houthi authorities challenged Saudi airspace controls over Yemen by allowing an Iranian aircraft to land. The internationally recognized Yemeni government responded by striking the airport, an attack that Houthi leaders attributed to the Saudi coalition. Houthi forces subsequently expanded their assaults against government-controlled zones and military sites, culminating in direct cross-border strikes against Saudi cities.