Saudi-led coalition says conducted operation to neutralise vital Houthi resources

The Saudi-led coalition said it had targeted resources supporting Houthi missile and drone programmes in Yemen. Separately, a Houthi missile struck near a government military site in Aden. The latest escalation comes amid conflicting claims over attacks on Saudi Arabia 

Riyadh: The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has said that it had carried out an operation to neutralise vital resources used by the Houthi group.

Coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Malki said in a statement on social media platform X on Sunday (local time) that the operation was conducted Sunday morning in response to continued Houthi attacks against civilians and civilian objects in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

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Al-Malki said the resources were used by the Houthis to support their war effort and strengthen their military capabilities, particularly their ballistic missile and drone programs. He did not specify the location of the operation or provide details about its results, according to Xinhua news agency.

Also on Sunday, residents and a security official in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden said a Houthi missile struck near a government military site in the city, triggering a powerful explosion.

The official, speaking to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, said the missile hit near a military facility used by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces in Al-Buraiqa district in western Aden. No casualties were reported. Residents described a loud blast that reverberated across several neighbourhoods.

The Houthi group did not immediately comment on the attack. Aden, the temporary seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, has increasingly come under missile and drone attacks launched by the Houthis during the latest escalation.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi Arabia-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government.

Last week, Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki wrote on X that a drone launched by the Houthi group was intercepted and destroyed in the Mecca region, home to Islam’s holiest city.

However, the Houthi group denied launching any attacks against Saudi Arabia. In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea rejected a Saudi claim that a drone had been intercepted over Mecca, calling it “false.” Sarea said the group carried out “no operations toward Saudi territory” on Friday.