Saudi coalition says Houthis hit Aden civilians; rebels claim they struck officers

Rival accounts out of Aden on Friday. Colonel Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, said Houthi rebels targeted civilians in the city with ballistic missiles. The Houthi-affiliated Saba news agency reported instead that the group struck Saudi officers at Jabal Hadid camp in Aden governorate.

The claims came as France turned up the heat. Foreign ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux told journalists Friday that pressure on the Houthis must increase: it is necessary, he said, that they put an end to their unacceptable attacks and provocations, particularly against Saudi territory, but not only there. His comments followed a unanimous UN Security Council vote to extend Yemen-related sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans for individuals and entities linked to the group.

The coalition had been busy before that. Al-Maliki said it intercepted and destroyed a drone in the Eastern Region, the third drone neutralized within a span of a few hours. He offered no further information on the operation.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said Thursday the group carried out two more operations against Saudi Arabia, targeting the Yanbu oil facility with a ballistic missile in what he described as a successful strike. He said a drone hit Pumping Station No. 7 of the East-West Crude Oil Pipeline, known as Petroline. Saree also called Saudi claims that it downed two missiles over Mecca blatant lies.