At Least 13 Saudis Injured by Houthi Strikes,100,000 Displaced in Yemen

Houthi missile and drone attacks struck civilian areas in Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif, injuring 13 people, as escalating fighting between the Iran-backed group and Saudi-backed government forces has displaced more than 100,000 people in Yemen. 

Major General Turki Al-Malki, spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, said early Tuesday that the strikes caused “minor to moderate injuries to 13 civilians and damage to 7 houses and two vehicles.” 

Saudi Civil Defense issued alerts covering several cities in western and southern Saudi Arabia, including Abha, Jeddah, Jazan, Taif, Yanbu, Makkah and AlUla. 

“The Terrorist Houthi Militia continues its heinous and deliberate attacks on civilian objects and civilians in the Kingdom,” the coalition said. 

Officials said joint forces would respond “responsibly and firmly to protect the sovereignty of the Kingdom, civilian objects, and civilians.” 

Inside Yemen, more than 100,000 people have been internally displaced as fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government intensifies, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said Tuesday. 

“Humanitarian access remains a major challenge. Insecurity, damaged roads, telecommunications disruptions, and movement restrictions are affecting operations,” UNHCR said. 

Earlier figures from the International Organization for Migration showed the rapid pace of displacement. The agency warned Sunday that more than 85,000 people had been displaced in Yemen, including 82,164 since the beginning of September alone, according to its Displacement Tracking Matrix. 

Recent Houthi operations have included attacks against Saudi territory and energy infrastructure as the group has also seized positions along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. 

Among those positions is the strategic city of Mokha, near the Bab el Mandeb strait, a major shipping route. Saudi and Yemeni forces have responded with strikes against Houthi targets. 

The coalition accused the Houthis of deliberately escalating attacks against civilian areas. 

“The continuation of these deliberate and repeated attacks proves the Terrorist Houthi Militia’s approach and extremist ideology of escalation and targeting civilian objects and civilians,” it said.