Houthi missiles fired at islands, village in western Yemen, pro-gov’t sources say

Sahin Demir and Lina Altawell

Yemen’s Houthi group on Thursday targeted a village in western Yemen — and islands overlooking maritime trade routes — with ballistic missiles, while the Yemeni navy downed a Houthi drone over the Red Sea, pro-government sources have said.

At least one missile targeted a village near Al-Khawkhah city in Yemen’s western Hodeidah province, according to the government-aligned Joint Forces, which did not provide information on possible casualties.

In a later development, a military source told the official Saba news agency that Houthis forces had targeted a number of islands overlooking maritime trade routes with ballistic missiles.

The same source said the Yemeni navy had downed a Houthi drone over the Red Sea.

The reported missile attacks come amid stepped-up fighting in recent days between the Houthis and Yemeni government-aligned forces in several parts of the country.

In 2014, the Iran-backed Houthis overran much of Yemen, including capital Sanaa.

This was followed by several years of war between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

Since the eruption of the Israel-Gaza conflict in 2023, ​​​​​​​the Houthis have become increasingly involved in regional hostilities, carrying out missile attacks on Israel and Israel-linked shipping in the Red Sea.

The latest uptick in fighting in Yemen – coupled with the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States – has revived fears of a return to full-scale conflict in the impoverished Gulf country.