Yemeni Government Claims That Houthi Missiles Killed At
Yemen’s internationally recognized government said the Houthis launched six ballistic rockets on?the Red Sea Port of Mocha, killing four civilians. This was in the wake of a?escalation between the Iran-aligned groups and their Saudi-backed rivals. The escalation comes at a time when regional tensions are high over the U.S./Israeli war against Iran. In this conflict, the Houthis appear to be a major front. This raises the possibility of another large-scale conflict. According to the armed forces aligned to the Yemeni government, the attack was on civilian infrastructure and?assets in the port. Initial reports stated that four civilians had been killed and several boats set ablaze.
The Houthis claimed to have destroyed boats and weapons with ballistic missiles after attacking what they called Saudi-backed military builds, weapons, and warships of?Saudi backed forces and mercenaries’ in Mocha.
Separately the Houthi run SABA news agency?cited a source who said that the group had attacked an Aramco facility?in the Saudi City of Najran?with a UAV.
Sources said that the attack was in response to what they described as Saudi aircraft entering the airspace above the northeastern region of Yemen’s Saada Governorate. The report didn’t identify the exact target or state whether it was hit.
Aramco or the Saudi authorities did not confirm this immediately.
These reported attacks are a result of?an increase in hostilities between Houthis, and Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The Houthis claimed to have attacked a Saudi Arabian Aramco refinery with two drones on Thursday.
The Houthis announced on July 20 a naval blocade of Saudi Arabia in the ‘Red Sea’. They said it was a reaction to what they called Saudi Arabia’s siege against Yemen, an accusation Riyadh denies. Saudi Arabia and its coalition launched airstrikes on what they said were “Houthi military installations in the port of Hodeidah, linked to threats against commercial ships.” Riyadh denied this allegation.
Yemen is engulfed in a?conflict? since the Houthis took over the capital,?Sanaa, in 2014. This prompted a Saudi-led military intervention the next year. The major fighting subsided in 2022 under a U.N. truce, but attempts to achieve a lasting political solution have stagnated. (Reporting and editing by Enas Alashray, Ahmed Tolba, and Mohammed Ghobari. Editing by Sanjeev Mikleni. Editing by Alison Williams.)
(source: Reuters)