Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of launching 26 strikes in 24 hours

The war in Yemen intensifies with mounting clashes and reciprocal attacks between Saudi forces and the Houthis.

Supporters of the Houthi authorities brandish their weapons and hold up a portrait of the group's leader, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, during a protest against Saudi Arabia's intervention in Yemen and its accusation that the Houthis launched a drone towards the holy city of Mecca, in Sanaa on September 18, 2026 [AFP]

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have said Saudi Arabia carried out 26 strikes against areas under the group’s control in the past 24 hours, as the two sides continue trading attacks amid an escalating war in Yemen, according to the AFP news agency.

On Friday, the group claimed Saudi strikes on Houthi-held territory had reached 300 over the past week alone, hitting positions across the areas it controls, AFP reported.

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Yemen’s government, backed by Saudi Arabia, said on Friday its forces had killed 30 Houthi rebels and wounded more than 60 in clashes in the al-Wazi’iyah district of Taiz province, one of several fronts where combat has picked up this week.

The exchange has come on the heels of a widening escalation of fighting in Yemen between the government’s military and the Houthi fighters.

Tens of thousands marched through Sanaa on Friday in a show of support for the Iran-backed Houthis and against Saudi Arabia, as the rebels press gains that have brought large stretches of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, under their control.

Earlier this week, the intensifying attacks between the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels killed at least five people, including three children, according to reports from both sides.

Saudi Arabia said one person was killed in the Taif governorate after a Houthi drone was intercepted, while Houthi-linked media reported deaths from Saudi strikes in Taiz and the town of Abs.

The escalation has drawn in Washington, though reluctantly.

US officials met Houthi representatives at the US embassy in the Omani capital, Muscat, over the weekend after the group’s rapid territorial gains raised concern over shipping through Bab al-Mandeb, a vital corridor for global trade.

The Houthis reportedly assured Washington that vessels not linked to Saudi Arabia would not be targeted.

Despite appeals from Riyadh for US President Donald Trump to strike the Houthis directly, Washington has so far held back, wary of opening a new front while still fighting a costly war with Iran.

Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday the bloc’s Red Sea naval mission, Operation Aspides, had raised its alert level as the situation in the region worsened, the Reuters news agency reported.

“Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia are unacceptable and sabotage the global economy,” Kallas said in a post on X.

She added that she had spoken with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud about diplomatic efforts to end the fighting in Yemen and restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

也门战争愈演愈烈，沙特军队与胡塞武装之间的冲突和相互袭击不断升级。

2026年9月18日，在也门首都萨那，胡塞武装的支持者挥舞着武器，举着该组织领导人阿卜杜勒-马利克·胡塞的画像，抗议沙特阿拉伯干预也门局势，以及沙特指责胡塞武装向圣城麦加发射无人机。[法新社]

据法新社报道，也门胡塞武装称，沙特阿拉伯在过去24小时内对该组织控制的地区发动了26次袭击。随着也门战争不断升级，双方持续交火。

据法新社报道，该组织周五声称，仅过去一周，沙特对胡塞武装控制区的空袭就达到了 300 次，袭击了其控制区内的各个目标。

意大利将部署军舰保护曼德海峡航运（共3项，此为第1项）

巴基斯坦承诺全力支持沙特阿拉伯的国防（共3项，此为第2项）

也门国内及地区战争推高了物价（共3条，此为第3条）。

也门政府在沙特阿拉伯的支持下，于周五表示，其部队在塔伊兹省瓦齐亚地区的冲突中击毙了 30 名胡塞武装分子，并造成 60 多人受伤。该地区是本周战斗升级的几个战线之一。

此次交火发生在也门政府军与胡塞武装之间战斗不断升级的背景下。

周五，数万民众在萨那举行游行，声援伊朗支持的胡塞武装，反对沙特阿拉伯。与此同时，胡塞武装正加紧推进，已控制了也门红海沿岸的大片地区，包括具有战略意义的曼德海峡。

据双方报道，本周早些时候，也门政府军和胡塞武装之间不断升级的冲突造成至少五人死亡，其中包括三名儿童。

沙特阿拉伯称，一架胡塞武装无人机在塔伊夫省被拦截，造成一人死亡；而与胡塞武装有关的媒体则报道称，沙特空袭导致塔伊兹和阿布斯镇有人死亡。

尽管华盛顿方面并不情愿，但局势的升级还是将华盛顿卷了进来。

上周末，美国官员在阿曼首都马斯喀特的美国大使馆会见了胡塞武装代表。此前，该组织迅速占领了部分领土，引发了人们对通过曼德海峡（全球贸易的重要通道）的航运安全的担忧。

据报道，胡塞武装向华盛顿保证，与沙特阿拉伯无关的船只不会成为攻击目标。

尽管利雅得呼吁美国总统唐纳德·特朗普直接打击胡塞武装，但华盛顿迄今为止仍未采取行动，因为在仍在与伊朗进行代价高昂的战争之际，担心开辟新的战线。

据路透社报道，欧盟外交政策负责人卡娅·卡拉斯周五表示，随着该地区局势恶化，欧盟在红海的海军行动“阿斯派德斯行动”已提高警戒级别。

“胡塞武装对沙特阿拉伯的袭击是不可接受的，并且破坏了全球经济，”卡拉斯在X网站上发帖称。

她还表示，她已与沙特外交大臣费萨尔·本·法尔汉·阿勒沙特亲王谈及结束也门战乱和恢复霍尔木兹海峡航行自由的外交努力。