NOW PLAYING
Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Friday launched drone and missile attacks toward Saudi military targets in the eastern city of Marib, Yemen, raising concerns of a widening war in the region.
Two people were killed and more than a dozen others wounded during the fresh strikes, according to the country’s state-run news agency.
The drones struck residential neighborhoods and camps for displaced people, SABA reported, citing local authorities. The Houthis said they were targeting Saudi-backed forces at the Sahn al-Jinn military camp in Marib, a base used by forces aligned with the Yemeni government and backed by Saudi Arabia.
The militant group added that it struck “weapons depots, military vehicles and equipment,” and that the strikes had been carried out “with a large number of missiles and drones,” according to The New York Times.
The Houthis described the “large number” of attacks as a response to escalating tensions with Saudi Arabia, and reiterated its commitment to the principles of “an eye for an eye” and “targeting Saudi aggression wherever it may be,” in a statement shared by SABA.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the militant group’s spokesperson, said in a post on social media that the rebels began the military operation after “precise monitoring of the movements” of Saudi forces.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces are steadfast in confronting escalation with escalation, and affirm that they will strike hard any mobilization or force brought by the Saudi enemy to maintain the siege imposed on our country,” he added in the statement.
Friday’s strikes come a day after at least 30 Yemeni government troops were killed in Houthi attacks on military camps in the Marib and Hadramawt provinces, according to government sources cited by Reuters.
The latest fighting has raised fears that Yemen could return to large-scale conflict more than four years after a U.N.-brokered truce in 2022 that largely halted fighting.
“Yemen today faces a greater risk of renewed large-scale conflict than at any point since the UN-brokered truce of April 2022,” U.N. Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg wrote Friday in a post on social platform X. “I am also concerned by strikes on civilian infrastructure, including airports, and heightened regional tensions.”
He added, “Taken together, these developments risk jeopardizing the gains of the 2022 truce.”
Grundberg urged all sides to exercise “maximum restraint” and to engage in U.N.-led negotiations.
Last month, the Houthis announced a blockade in the Red Sea to thwart ships from Saudi Arabia and the two nations launched tit-for-tat strikes. President Trump also threatened the militant group over its actions, as the conflict converged with the ongoing Iran war.
The latest attacks also come as the U.S. and Iran are expected to announce a new deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and create a path for new peace talks.
Add as preferred source on Google Tags Donald Trump Houthi rebels Middle East conflict U.S.-Iran war yemenCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Comments: Link copiedMore International News
See All
Senate Senate overwhelmingly passes Russia sanctions bill by Helen Huiskes and Alexander Bolton 19 hours ago Senate / 19 hours ago 
