22.9.2026
Yemen’s Houthis on Tuesday accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out a spate of deadly strikes that killed civilians and prison inmates, as Riyadh seeks to repel an offensive that has seen the Iran-backed group seize strategic territory.
The recent Houthi takeover of Yemen’s Red Sea coast has left hundreds dead and heightened fears over global trade and shipping through the vital Bab al-Mandab strait.
It has also forced thousands to flee, with the United Nations on Tuesday forecasting the number of displaced could swell from more than 130,000 today to over 230,000 in coming months.
The gains made by the Houthis have cemented the hold of Iran and its regional allies over two key waterways in the Middle East — Bab al-Mandab and the Strait of Hormuz — which are major shipping arteries for global flows of energy.
Saudi Arabia, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government, has sought to contain the Houthi advance with airstrikes on areas under their control.
The Houthis have retaliated with attacks on Saudi territory, including a strike targeting the capital Riyadh for the first time in years.
On Tuesday, the Houthis said a strike by Saudi Arabia on a prison in northwest Yemen killed nine detainees, while they also accused the Saudis of killing six civilians including two children in the port city of Mocha.
Two more civilians were killed by strikes in Yemen’s Al-Jawf province, the Houthis added.
“A mother and child were killed, while her husband and two of her other children were wounded in strikes carried out by the Saudi enemy” in the Al-Batin area, Houthi media said, citing the Houthi health ministry.
The Middle East war began in February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which prompted the Islamic republic to retaliate with attacks around the region and by mobilising its allies.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency on Tuesday issued a warning of potential danger in the country’s south near the Yemen border, the first alert since the Houthis launched their attack on Riyadh over the weekend.
G7 leaders representing Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States called on the Houthis to “immediately cease all military actions”.
They also demanded the Houthis end “all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith”, while calling on Tehran “to end its arming of and support for the Houthis”. AFP
