Saudi Arabia intercepted Houthi ballistic missiles on Thursday after issuing warnings for several regions including Mecca, as France vowed to send "military means" to help shield the key Saudi oil terminal of Yanbu. The attacks were reported as fighting raged in Yemen between the Houthis and Riyadh-backed government forces, killing dozens of people on both sides, according to a tally from seven sources who spoke to AFP. The missiles were the latest in a series of escalating Houthi attacks since July, when renewed hostilities shattered a years-long truce and embroiled Yemen in the wider Middle East war.
Since then, the Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, hitting its tankers and territory and seizing swathes of Yemen's Red Sea coast, which is vital for Saudi oil exports. Their gains cement the hold of Iran and its allies on the two waterways that the wider Gulf, including top crude exporter Saudi Arabia, relies on to ship out its oil and other fuel products. Iran’s Pezeshkian tells UN his country is ‘victim’ of US ‘terrorism’ To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement.
One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's government since 2015 against the Houthis said six ballistic missiles had been intercepted, thwarting attacks on Taif and Yanbu.
"Escalations and violations by the terrorist Houthi militia will be dealt with firmly," said coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki on X. Earlier, the Saudi Civil Defence had issued a brief series of alerts including one for Mecca, home to Islam's holiest sites, with separate warnings for the Red Sea governorate of Yanbu as well as the Taif, Jeddah and Tabuk regions. The alerts were lifted a few minutes later.
In recent weeks, alerts have often preceded attacks by the Houthis. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian denied Thursday that Tehran was directing Houthi battle plans. "The Houthis are responsible for their own actions.
They don't take directions from us as those who are resisting in the region, based on the situations that have been imposed on them," Pezeshkian told Fox News, according to the broadcaster's translation of his remarks. With pressure mounting on Saudi Arabia, French President Emmanuel Macron said France planned to "send military assets, meaning soldiers, radars and defence systems to protect" Yanbu. The infrastructure in and around Yanbu forms a key node in Saudi Arabia's vast network of energy installations.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
