Yemen's Houthis escalate deadly attacks on Saudi-backed troops

Houthi rebels in Yemen carried out a series of deadly missile and drone attacks on Thursday, targeting government military positions in the eastern city of Marib, according to Yemeni state-run Saba news agency. The attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 58 government troops and wounded dozens more, as confirmed by the Yemeni Joint Operations Command.

In response, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a defense agreement on Friday, deepening their regional cooperation amid growing security concerns. The agreement aims to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression, with each state agreeing that an attack against one would be considered an attack against all three.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the attacks were in retaliation for a "large-scale and special military operation" conducted by Saudi-backed forces in Marib and Hadramawt, though the Saudi-backed Yemeni Joint Operations Command disputed this claim, reporting the deaths of 17 soldiers and officers. The attacks also spread to neighboring Saudi Arabia, where the Saudi-led coalition reported that 11 civilians, including seven Saudi nationals, were wounded in what it described as "Houthi terrorist attacks."

The coalition accused the Houthis of using indiscriminate projectiles against civilian areas, violating international humanitarian laws. The ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict and Iran-backed Houthi rebels' growing involvement in Yemen's civil war have heightened regional tensions, prompting Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan to seek closer security ties.