Houthi strike wounds 11 in Saudi Arabia

An artillery strike launched by Yemeni Houthi rebels into the southern region of Saudi Arabia on Thursday left 11 civilians wounded, coinciding with official warnings that joint operations by the Houthis and Tehran-backed Iraqi militias are expected shortly.

According to Major General Turki al-Maliki, the official voice of the Saudi-led military alliance backing Yemen’s internationally recognised administration, confirmed injuries to seven Saudi citizens, two Egyptian nationals, one Yemeni, and one Pakistani, reports Reuters.

Among those hospitalised was a four-year-old child who sustained second-degree burns.

Maliki condemned the Iran-aligned group for carrying out indiscriminate strikes on non-combatant zones, describing the actions as a direct breach of international humanitarian law.

He emphasised that the coalition remains committed to implementing all necessary defensive actions to safeguard civilian populations. Neither the Houthis nor Iranian authorities have issued responses to these allegations.

The incident occurs against the backdrop of a five-month-old conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran, which has severely complicated the geopolitical security environment for Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia’s ten-year confrontation with the Tehran-supported Houthi movement has drawn increasingly closer to this wider regional struggle, particularly as Houthi naval blockades in the Red Sea continue to interrupt Saudi petroleum shipments.

A senior Saudi official, speaking anonymously, revealed that joint intelligence compiled by Saudi, American, and regional partner agencies suggests that the Houthis, alongside Iraqi paramilitary forces operating under the supervision of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), may soon target Saudi civil infrastructure, including energy assets, airports, and maritime ports.

These anticipated coordinated strikes are believed to be aiming at disrupting active diplomatic channels. Despite these alarming indicators, the official remarked that Riyadh remains dedicated to cooling regional tensions through structured negotiations with Tehran, noting that ongoing mediation campaigns are currently “moving in the right direction”.

Operational coordination between Saudi forces and US Central Command remains exceptionally strong across all command levels, with the kingdom fully prepared to counter any external aggression, the official added.

The security alert follows a Houthi claim of responsibility on Tuesday for targeting Najran’s airport, part of an expanding campaign of strikes against Saudi shipping lanes, infrastructure, and military positions.

Houthi fighters killed more than 30 Yemeni government soldiers on Thursday during assaults on what the rebels termed Saudi military installations in the provinces of Marib and Hadramout.

To bolster regional alliances, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey are expected to finalise a tripartite security pact on Friday, according to two regional sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations.

While the specific terms of the upcoming treaty have not been disclosed, Riyadh is actively pursuing closer defensive ties with key partners to counter mounting threats from regional proxy networks. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in the kingdom on Thursday to advance these discussions, building on an existing bilateral defence agreement between Riyadh and Islamabad, while Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan is scheduled to touch down on Friday.