Houthi strikes on Saudi military targets fuel fears of wider Yemen conflict

Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched drone and missile attacks on Saudi military targets in the eastern city of Marib, Yemen, on Friday. According to the country's state-run news agency, two people were killed and more than a dozen others wounded in the strikes. The Houthis also launched ballistic missiles and drones at displacement camps and residential neighbourhoods in Marib, killing two people and wounding 14.

Yemen's army responded against Houthi forces on several fronts along the lines of contact early on Saturday. The army did not give details of the operations or say when they took place, but said it would respond to any further targeting of its units with "necessary military measures". The exchanges mark a sharp escalation between the Houthis and forces of Yemen's internationally recognised government.

The UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, warned that the country faces a greater risk of renewed large-scale conflict than at any point since the UN-brokered truce of April 2022. Saudi Arabia has also drawn in new allies, with Pakistan and Turkey signing a mutual defense pact with the kingdom in Mecca on Friday. The pact could draw Pakistan and Turkey into a war they have carefully kept at arm's length.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Hill, Egypt Independent, Jerusalem Post, Channel News Asia, Middle East Eye — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.