Yemen Government Forces Strike Houthi Targets in Sanaa and Saada
Yemen’s armed forces, aligned with the internationally recognised government, said early on Sunday they were conducting strikes against the Iran-aligned Houthis in the capital Sanaa and the group’s stronghold of Saada, in a sharp escalation of a conflict that had been mostly quiet since a 2022 truce.
A military spokesman said forces were targeting what he described as “vital targets”, without giving further details. Reports from the ground said the strikes also hit Taiz in the southwest.
The strikes came hours after the Houthis claimed an attack on an oil facility near the Saudi capital. An AFP journalist saw flames and smoke rising from an Aramco facility south of Riyadh on Saturday afternoon. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted the facility with ballistic missiles and drones, describing the operation as retaliation for Saudi-led attacks on Sanaa.
Sanaa residents report explosions as Yemen strikes Houthis
Houthi-run Al Masirah television reported that Saudi Arabia had carried out an attack on Sanaa, claiming “Saudi enemy aircraft” hit the capital with 26 strikes. There was no immediate confirmation from Riyadh. Two correspondents in Sanaa reported hearing loud explosions and seeing warplanes firing missiles at the city.
The competing claims underlined how quickly the fighting has returned to Yemen’s skies. The conflict between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-backed government had largely stopped after the 2022 truce, but hostilities resumed this year after the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began attacking Saudi territory and shipping.
The Houthis have also made major territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, seizing control of the Bab al-Mandab strait in a lightning offensive last month. Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes inside Yemen while backing government forces fighting to push the Houthis back.
What the escalation means for the region
The renewed fighting is spilling over from the wider war between Iran and the United States. The Houthis are aligned with Tehran, while Yemen’s internationally recognised government is backed by Riyadh, putting the country back on the front line of a regional confrontation.
Yemen was already one of the world’s poorest countries before the war, and aid agencies have warned that a return to full-scale fighting would deepen a humanitarian crisis that never fully ended during the truce years. Neither side has released casualty figures from the latest exchange of strikes.
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Frequently asked questions
Why did Yemen’s government strike Houthi targets?
The government said it was hitting “vital targets” in Sanaa, Saada and Taiz. The strikes followed a Houthi-claimed missile and drone attack on an Aramco facility near Riyadh on Saturday, which an AFP journalist confirmed had left flames and smoke rising.
Who is fighting in Yemen?
Yemen’s internationally recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia and based in Aden, is fighting the Iran-backed Houthis, who control most of the country’s northwest, including the capital Sanaa.
What did the Houthis claim about the strikes?
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that Saudi Arabia carried out the attack on Sanaa, claiming 26 strikes by “Saudi enemy aircraft”. Riyadh did not immediately confirm the claim.
Is Saudi Arabia directly involved?
Saudi Arabia has responded to Houthi attacks on its territory with air strikes inside Yemen while backing government forces. There was no immediate Saudi comment on the latest reported strikes on Sanaa.
