Saudi-Led Coalition Launches Dozens of Air Strikes on Houthi Positions in Yemen

Saudi Arabia launched a wave of air strikes against Houthi positions across Yemen, with the group's military spokesman saying dozens of raids hit the governorates of Lahj, Taiz, al-Jawf, Marib and Hajjah over a 24-hour period. The strikes mark an escalation in the Saudi response after Houthi forces wounded at least 73 civilians in attacks on Saudi civilian and energy sites earlier this month and, separately, seized control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline and the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The Saudi-backed, internationally recognized Yemeni government has launched a counteroffensive aimed at retaking territory from the Iran-backed Houthis, with government-aligned forces conducting counterattacks following the Houthis' rapid offensive along the coast. Saudi Arabia had vowed a firm response to the earlier Houthi attacks, which also ignited fires at oil facilities in the kingdom's southern region and temporarily halted some operations there. The escalating fighting threatens to further destabilize a already fragile Yemeni conflict and raises fresh concerns about disruption to Red Sea shipping and regional energy supplies.