Saudi-led coalition targets Houthi missile networks and rocket launchers as Riyadh vows to defend its territory and protect Red Sea navigation amid escalating regional tensions…reports Asian Lite News Desk
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government has launched large-scale military operations against Houthi forces, targeting the group’s ballistic missile network and rocket launch platforms amid escalating regional tensions.
Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said on Friday that the strikes targeted several Houthi military capabilities, including its missile infrastructure.
“We are working to dismantle and destroy the ballistic missile network of the terrorist Houthi militia,” Al-Maliki said in a post on X, alongside footage of the airstrikes.
He said coalition forces were providing air support to Yemeni government forces around the clock.
In subsequent posts, Al-Maliki shared footage showing coalition aircraft striking Houthi fighters who he said were attempting to conceal themselves as government forces advanced in the Bab Al-Mandab area. Other footage purportedly showed fighters fleeing their positions.
The coalition also destroyed three Houthi rocket launch platforms, which Al-Maliki said had been used to threaten regional security. He warned that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure would be met with resolve.
The operations highlight military coordination between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognised government as fighting intensifies along the western Red Sea coast and near the strategically important Bab Al-Mandab Strait, a key maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Meanwhile, Yemeni government forces had taken control of Bab Al-Mandab and Mayun Island after clearing the area, Al Arabiya reported on Friday, citing military sources.
Saudi Arabia vows to defend its territory
Saudi Arabia has warned that it will not allow Yemen to become a base for attacks against its territory or threats to international shipping.
Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Abdulaziz Alwasil, said the Kingdom would defend its sovereignty and citizens while continuing to support a political settlement to the conflict.
“The Kingdom affirms that it will not allow Yemen to be turned into a staging ground for threats to its security or to the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab Strait,” he told the council.
Alwasil accused the Houthis of rejecting diplomatic initiatives in favour of military escalation and called on the Security Council to enforce relevant resolutions, including the arms embargo on the group.
His remarks followed two reported attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Thursday that killed three Saudi nationals, including Saudia Airlines pilot Capt. Hamoud bin Ali Alkalthami, and injured several others.
Saudi aviation authorities said the first attack targeted airport facilities, while the second struck an aircraft belonging to the national carrier. The incidents caused damage and disrupted flights, with those injured including residents of several nationalities.
Saudi officials have also cited a series of reported Houthi attacks in recent weeks targeting Riyadh, Abha, Khamis Mushayt, Jazan and Najran. They have additionally referred to an attempted attack on Makkah on September 15 and a September 29 strike on the Taiba electricity distribution station in Madinah.
Alwasil warned that the attacks threatened Saudi security, commercial shipping, energy supplies and international trade. He also said external military and technical assistance had strengthened the Houthis’ capabilities, contributing to instability in Yemen and the wider region.
Riyadh reiterates support for Yemen’s government
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly backed Yemen’s internationally recognised government and efforts to restore state authority, stressing that any lasting political settlement must preserve the country’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
The Kingdom has also provided economic, development and humanitarian assistance to Yemen. Alwasil said Saudi economic and development support exceeded $12.6 billion between 2012 and 2026, alongside more than $4.5 billion in humanitarian assistance.
Saudi Arabia also provided budget support worth more than 224 million Saudi riyals, equivalent to about $59.7 million, on October 4, he said.
The latest operations come as renewed fighting raises concerns over regional security and maritime traffic through one of the world’s strategically important shipping corridors.
Riyadh says it remains committed to a political solution to the Yemeni conflict but maintains that attacks on Saudi territory and threats to freedom of navigation must be addressed.
