Saudi Coalition Destroys Houthi Missile Launchers and Tunnels Amid Renewed Strikes
Four launchers and five storage tunnels were targeted in an operation designed to cut supply lines, even as the Houthis claimed new hits on Riyadh and Yemeni positions.
By Jason Kovalenko ·
The conflict in Yemen has intensified as both sides claim fresh military successes and losses.
The Saudi-led coalition announced on Monday that it conducted an operation to neutralize Houthi threats. The campaign focused on destroying specific military assets and disrupting logistics.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki stated that forces destroyed four ballistic missile launchers. He added that five tunnels used for missile storage were also eliminated. Al-Maliki described the operation as a move to cut off supply lines between areas controlled by the Houthi militia.
The Houthi group, known as Ansar Allah, responded with its own claims of successful attacks. Military spokesman Yahya Saree posted on social media that the group struck Riyadh’s King Khalid international airport with a ballistic missile. Saree claimed the missile hit the target with precision. Al-Maliki countered that Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed the projectile before it reached the city.
Saree also claimed that Houthi drones struck oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia. He said the group conducted additional ballistic missile attacks on military positions in Yemen. These strikes targeted the Salah al-Din area in Aden governorate and the al-Wahat area in Lahij governorate.
The violence follows a sharp escalation in the war. The Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in the summer. This move followed the collapse of a 2022 truce last month. The Houthis seized much of Yemen’s Red Sea coast from government forces. They have also attacked Saudi energy facilities and airports.
A Houthi attack on King Khalid airport earlier this month killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. It was the deadliest attack on the kingdom in over a decade. The airport closed temporarily, forcing Saudi Arabia to postpone its flagship investment conference until 2027. Flights resumed on Sunday, though the Houthis warned travelers to avoid the facility by labeling it a military target.
Yemen’s government launched a counteroffensive called Operation Yemen Dawn this month. The goal is to recapture territory held by the Houthis. Saudi Arabia intervened in 2015 to support the internationally recognized government that was ousted from Sanaa in 2014.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday. His office said Mitsotakis agreed to keep a US-made Patriot air defense system in Saudi Arabia. The battery was deployed by Greece in 2021 and protects energy infrastructure in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast.
The Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses intercepted at least 10 ballistic missiles on Sunday. The civil defense agency reported that two people were injured in the south by falling debris. Several buildings and vehicles sustained damage. Images released by the official press agency showed a building with a destroyed upper facade and shattered windows on a nearby road.
