Houthis claim strikes on Saudi naval vessels, arms depot

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Monday that Yemeni forces had conducted a wide-ranging assault against Saudi targets, striking naval vessels off the coast and a weapons depot in Marib province with ballistic missiles and drones.

Naval and ground targets hit

Saree stated that a Saudi amphibious transport ship and accompanying naval vessels were hit in a “precise” aerial attack involving “a number of” ballistic missiles. He said several of the targeted ships had been sunk while the rest had caught fire. Houthi forces also struck a weapons depot at the Sahn al-Jin camp in Yemen’s central-eastern Marib province with multiple drones, the spokesman added.

Saudi confirmation pending

The claims have not been confirmed by Saudi authorities. The announcement comes as fears mount of a return to full-scale conflict in Yemen, with regional tensions already heightened by the ongoing war between Iran and the United States.

Protracted conflict

In 2014, the Iran-backed Houthis overran much of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, leading to years of war against government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition. Since the 2023 Israel-Gaza conflict erupted, the group has carried out missile attacks on Israel and commercial shipping in the Red Sea.