Post by : Bianca
Haleem
Iran-aligned Houthi forces launched ballistic missiles and drones toward displacement camps and residential neighbourhoods in Yemen’s Marib city on Friday, killing two people and injuring 14 others, Yemen’s state news agency SABA reported, citing local authorities.
The attacks have added to growing tensions between the Houthis and forces supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government, after years of relative calm and limited large-scale fighting between the two sides.
Yemeni Army Says It Responded
Yemen’s army said early Saturday that it had carried out operations against Houthi forces on several fronts along the lines of contact.
The army did not provide details about the operations or specify when they took place. It said, however, that any further attacks against its units would be met with what it described as necessary military measures.
The latest exchanges mark a significant escalation between the Houthis and government-aligned forces and have raised concerns about a possible return to wider fighting in Yemen.
Houthis Claim Attacks on Saudi-Backed Forces
The Houthis said on Friday that they had targeted Saudi-backed forces, military depots, vehicles and equipment at the Sahn al-Jinn camp in Marib using missiles and drones.
Reuters said it could not independently verify the claims made by either side.
The latest attacks followed strikes on Thursday in Marib and Hadramawt provinces that killed at least 30 Yemeni government troops, according to government sources. The casualties were among the deadliest reported escalations in months.
The Houthis also claimed responsibility for those attacks, saying they targeted Saudi military deployments in the two provinces after detecting what they described as a major Saudi military buildup ahead of a possible escalation against areas under Houthi control.
UN Warns of Risk of Wider Yemen Conflict
UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said on Friday that the recent attacks in Marib and Hadramawt, combined with renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, had placed Yemen at its highest risk of renewed large-scale conflict since the UN-brokered truce of April 2022.
Grundberg called on all parties to show maximum restraint and participate in UN-led negotiations. He warned that the renewed violence could pull Yemen further into the wider regional confrontation.
The UN Security Council also expressed concern on Friday over the rising tensions in Yemen. It said the recent developments threatened regional security and navigational rights and freedoms, while also putting peace efforts at greater risk.
The council urged the Houthis to avoid further escalation and encouraged the use of existing dialogue channels to reduce tensions.
Tensions Rise Amid Regional Conflict
The developments come as the US-Israeli war on Iran has expanded across parts of the region.
A senior Saudi official said on Thursday that Riyadh expected imminent coordinated attacks from Yemen’s Houthis and Iraqi militias under the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran and its allies in Yemen and Iraq have not responded to the Saudi official’s claim.
The Houthis also declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea last month. The group said the move was in response to what it described as a Saudi siege of Yemen, an allegation denied by Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia's Role in Yemen
Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government since 2015, following the Houthi seizure of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
The conflict has caused extensive destruction across Yemen and contributed to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
A UN-brokered truce in 2022 halted offensive military operations inside Yemen and across its borders and resulted in a major reduction in fighting. The truce was extended twice before formally expiring in October 2022.
Although the truce ended, large-scale hostilities did not immediately return, and Yemen entered a period of relative calm.
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