Houthis say Saudi Arabia launched 28 strikes in Yemen over 24 hours

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Sunday that Saudi Arabia carried out 28 airstrikes across Yemen in the previous 24 hours, targeting the governorates of Taiz, Al-Jawf and Marib with F-15 and Typhoon aircraft flying from the Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases. The strikes come as the Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognized government fight a revived civil war, and after the group launched an offensive this month aimed at seizing the country's entire Red Sea coastline. Houthi control of that coast would put the Bab al-Mandab strait, a chokepoint for global shipping between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, under the group's authority. The Houthis insist navigation through the strait remains open and free except for Saudi vessels. The escalation has drawn international attention, with G7 leaders calling on the Houthis to halt their strikes on Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have also marked the anniversary of their 2014 takeover of the Yemeni capital, a milestone in the conflict that triggered the Saudi-led intervention.

Global Impact

Geopolitically, the strikes deepen the Saudi-Houthi front and complicate the fragile UN-led peace track, with the G7 now publicly pressing the Houthis to stop attacks on the kingdom. Economically, Houthi consolidation along the Red Sea coast threatens Bab al-Mandab traffic, the route for a substantial share of Europe-Asia trade, raising the prospect of higher insurance costs, rerouting and freight rates.