Houthis claim to launch large-scale missile, drone attack against Saudi Arabian air base
The Houthis stated that the operation was carried out in response to what they described as more than 300 Saudi airstrikes across Yemen during the previous five days.
Yemen's Houthi rebel group announced on Monday that it had launched a large-scale missile and drone assault on the King Khalid Air Base in Saudi Arabia's southern region of Khamis Mushait. The attack, which targeted military infrastructure such as hangars, radars, runways, and ammunition depots, resulted in significant damage to the base.
The scale of the destruction has not yet been confirmed. The Houthi group attributed the operation to over 300 Saudi airstrikes across Yemen in the preceding five days, carried out by F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets from Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases. Saudi Arabia has retaliated against Houthi targets amidst escalating tensions between the kingdom and the Iran-backed group.
However, the exact number of strikes claimed by the Houthi group has not been independently verified. The group threatened additional attacks on Saudi territory if the ongoing strikes continued. This claim came in the wake of a major Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia the previous week, targeting Khamis Mushait and Saudi energy infrastructure, resulting in over 70 casualties and fires at oil facilities.
Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels have made substantial territorial gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast and on islands near the strategically vital Bab al-Mandab Strait. The rebels have taken control of the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands, located approximately 160 kilometers north of the strait. This follows their recent seizure of Mocha and Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, during their rapid advance along Yemen's western coastline.
The Houthi takeover occurred as government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, attempted to regroup and launch a counteroffensive following the Houthi advances in the Bab al-Mandab Strait area.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
