Houthis claim ballistic missile barrage on Saudi troops in southwest Yemen

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Saturday that the rebel group fired several ballistic missiles at Saudi troop positions in southwestern Yemen. In a post on X, Saree named the target as forces belonging to Saudi officer Badr al-Harbi in the Kharaz area of Lahj Governorate. He claimed the strikes were “precise and direct,” killed and wounded dozens, and destroyed numerous vehicles. The reported attack landed near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the shipping corridor linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

The Saudi-led coalition gave a different account of Saturday's fighting. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said its air defense forces intercepted and destroyed two Houthi drones headed for Riyadh and for southern Saudi regions. There was no immediate coalition confirmation of casualties from the Lahj strikes Saree described.

Yemeni government forces said earlier that the Houthis hit Aden with two ballistic missiles, following what the rebels were reported to have done a day before: an attack on Saudi officers at Jabal Hadid camp in Aden governorate. The Houthi-affiliated Saba news agency carried that account. On Friday, al-Maliki had accused the rebels of targeting civilians in Aden with ballistic missiles.

The flurry of claims comes days after the United Nations Security Council voted to extend Yemen-related sanctions. France used the moment to press for more pressure on the Houthis, saying they must “put an end to their unacceptable attacks and provocations.”