Middle East07 August, 20263 min read
Iran-Backed Houthis Launch 12 Missile Attacks on Hadramout and Marib, Hitting Yemeni Government Camps
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Houthi forces launched at least 12 missile attacks on Hadramout and Marib, killing 30 troops. Ballistic missiles and drones struck multiple Yemeni military camps in Marib and Hadramawt.
Missiles Hit Yemen Camps
Iran-backed Houthi forces launched at least 12 fresh missile attacks on the Yemeni provinces of Hadramout and Marib on Friday, following drone and ballistic missiles launched at Saudi-led coalition and Yemeni government military sites. Al Jazeera reported that the missiles struck at 2pm local time (11:00 GMT) on Thursday, hitting camps belonging to several government military formations, including the Homeland Shield Forces, the Emergency Forces and the First Military Region in Hadramout. The BBC said the defence ministry reported ballistic missiles and drones struck several camps in Marib and Hadramawt, with the ministry denouncing the attacks as "treacherous" and vowing to "respond to this aggression at an appropriate time and place".
In Saudi Arabia’s southern Najran province, a senior Saudi official told Reuters that a Houthi attack on Thursday wounded 11 civilians, including a young child, and the BBC said the coalition spokesperson reported 11 civilians were wounded in the border region of Najran. The BBC added that the Houthi attacks happened at 10:40 local time (07:40 GMT) on Thursday, and that a military official told AFP missiles and drones hit camps in the al-Ruwaik area of Marib province and the al-Abr and al-Wadiah areas of Hadramawt.
Saudi Warning and UN Call
A senior Saudi official speaking anonymously to Reuters said intelligence gathered by Saudi Arabia, the United States and other countries indicated that civilian and economic sites could be targeted, including energy infrastructure, ports and airports. Middle East Eye said Saudi Arabia warned that Iraqi armed groups and Yemen’s Houthis could soon launch coordinated attacks against the kingdom under the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and that Riyadh was ready to take all necessary measures against "any aggression". The BBC quoted Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq calling on all parties to "exercise restraint and refrain from actions that could lead to further military escalation" as renewed fighting risks escalation.
The BBC also reported that the US mission to Yemen said the Houthis' attacks were "cowardly" and another example of what it called "their terrorism against the Yemeni people". In Yemen, the Houthis said they had targeted "large Saudi military build-ups" preparing for an offensive, while the Houthis’ military spokesman Yahia Sarea claimed the attacks caused the death and injury of "hundreds of Saudi enemy mercenaries".
Escalation Risks and Retaliation
The BBC reported that AFP cited a military source as saying at least 58 Yemeni troops had been killed, an increase from the 38 dead it had previously reported, while other military sources told Aden al-Ghad and Belqees TV that more than 40 troops were killed. CNN Arabic said the Houthis announced carrying out a “wide” military operation targeting Saudi forces with ballistic missiles and unmanned aircraft in several areas inside Yemeni territory, citing a statement by the group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Sarei. CNN Arabic reported that the Houthis said the attacks came in response to what they described as “large Saudi military mobilizations that were in their final stages and aimed at escalating,” and that the group claimed the operation resulted in “the killing and injury of hundreds” of Saudi forces.
Al-Manar TV Lebanon quoted Mahdi al-Mashat saying, “Any state which decides to participate with the Saudi aggressor in its 12-year-long aggression and blockade is an aggressor, even if it camouflages this involvement with glittering titles.” Al Jazeera said the Houthis referred to the internationally recognised Yemeni government as coordinating with Saudi Arabia for a potential ground offensive against Houthi positions, and that the group’s missile and drone attacks would continue against what it called Saudi allies, or proxies, over Yemeni land.