RIYADH — Houthi rebels launched a major attack on southwestern Saudi Arabia early Tuesday, injuring at least 73 people, including women and children, and striking oil and other infrastructure across four cities.
Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led Coalition Forces, confirmed the attacks hit civilian and economic sites in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran. Fires broke out at several facilities, temporarily halting some operations.
The Houthi military claimed responsibility, stating the assault was a response to more than 100 Saudi airstrikes in Yemen over the past three days. Houthi forces said they fired dozens of ballistic missiles and drones during Tuesday's operation.
Yemen's Ambassador to Qatar, Rajeh Hussain Farhan Badi, said the Houthis are attempting to draw Saudi Arabia into broader conflict by striking its territory, civilian sites and Red Sea vessels.
Global oil markets reacted swiftly. Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed above $100 per barrel for the first time since July, rising more than 1 percent. Traders expressed concern that Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea could face disruption.
Saudi Arabia has largely rerouted crude exports through the Red Sea port of Yanbu after the Strait of Hormuz became effectively blocked due to previous regional tensions.
This latest attack marks a dramatic escalation in the Saudi-Houthi conflict, which reignited in July following the collapse of a U.S.-Iran ceasefire. Earlier Houthi missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities and tankers had already expanded the Middle East war.
The Saudi-led forces vowed retaliation. Al-Maliki said the Joint Forces Command would confront the Houthi "hostile approach." The Saudi Foreign Ministry asserted that "The kingdom affirms its legitimate right to take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty."
A source familiar with Saudi thinking said Riyadh is planning retaliation and has informed its allies, including the U.S. military's Central Command and European partners. Saudi diplomats notified U.S. lawmakers in August about the breakdown in political channels with the Houthis and the rebels' plans for escalation against the kingdom. The source said retaliation had "always been the fallback plan should the Houthis attack." The specific form or intensity of any retaliation remains unclear.
Yahya Saree, the Houthi group's spokesperson, claimed Wednesday that Saudi warplanes had conducted 54 airstrikes over the preceding 12 hours. Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to the claim.
