Yemen’s Houthi movement has stepped up attacks on Saudi infrastructure while gaining territory in Yemen, according to reports published October 14. Saudi Arabia is providing air support to Yemeni government forces as fighting around Taiz deepens shortages for residents of the besieged city.

Airport strikes disrupt flights

The CSR Journal, an Indian news outlet, reported at least two dozen major attacks on Saudi infrastructure since early September. Targets included airports, oil refineries, pipelines, gas facilities and military installations. It dated a major wave of strikes on four Saudi cities to September 7.

King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was hit at least three times within four days, forcing flights to stop, the outlet reported. Reports it cited put the toll from those airport attacks at at least 18 dead and around 300 injured.

The outlet also reported attacks on airports in Abha, Najran and Jizan. Citing satellite imagery, it said missiles and drones had targeted at least nine energy facilities, including refineries and gas plants.

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Territorial gains tighten pressure on Taiz

The CSR Journal reported that the Houthis had captured more than 15,000 square kilometres in Yemen. The reported casualty totals and extent of territorial control have not been independently verified.

Arab News reported that an early-September Houthi offensive in Taiz province left thousands reportedly dead or wounded and displaced more than 200,000 people. The movement seized areas in western Taiz, including Mokha, a city on the Red Sea coast.

The Houthis also recently took a key road connecting Taiz with Aden, the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, Arab News reported. Residents said food, fuel and cooking gas were increasingly scarce and prices had risen sharply. Local medical workers reported dwindling medicine supplies.

Col. Abdul Basit Al-Baher, a Yemeni army officer in Taiz, told Arab News that residents had joined government forces. He said troops were fighting on five fronts around the city and had repelled assaults involving shelling, drones and other weapons. Dozens of Houthi fighters had been killed or wounded, he said.

Saudi air support backs government offensive

Al-Baher said Saudi aircraft and drones had struck Houthi command centres, vehicles and missile and drone launchers. Those strikes had eased pressure on government forces, he said.

On October 5, Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, announced a nationwide operation called Dawn of Yemen. Its stated aim was to recapture Houthi-held territory, including the capital, Sanaa. The CSR Journal reported some government territorial gains since October 4.

The escalation followed a Houthi announcement in late July of a maritime blockade on Saudi vessels in the Red Sea. Muddassir Quamar, a West Asia scholar at India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, linked the renewed fighting to the wider US-Israel-Iran conflict. Speaking to StratNews Global, he also cited Houthi activity around the Red Sea and intensified Saudi-backed operations in Yemen.