• Rebels target Yanbu, Taif, military sites in Jazan; push to seize key Taiz-Aden supply route
• Riyadh lifts warnings issued for Makkah, Jeddah, Tabuk, other regions
• UN rights chief ‘appalled’ as civilian toll climbs in Yemen
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthis on Thursday after issuing warnings for several regions, including the holy city of Makkah.
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government said the missiles were intercepted before reaching targets in Taif and Yanbu, a key Red Sea area important for Saudi oil exports. It was not immediately clear whether the attacks caused any damage or casualties.
Saudi Civil Defence had earlier issued emergency alerts for several areas, including Makkah, Yanbu, Taif, Jeddah and Tabuk. The warnings were lifted minutes later. In recent weeks, similar alerts have often preceded Houthi attacks.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said in posts on X that “escalations and violations by the terrorist Houthi militia will be dealt with firmly”.
The Houthis later claimed responsibility for attacks targeting Saudi military sites in Jazan province near the Yemeni border.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group launched a barrage involving ballistic missiles and drones aimed at what he described as operations rooms, command centers, weapons depots, missile launch sites and military camps.
The latest attacks come as fighting has intensified inside Yemen between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces. At least 150 fighters from both sides were killed in the past 24 hours, according to an AFP tally based on sources from both factions.
At least 98 government forces and soldiers were killed, while the Houthis said at least 52 of their fighters were killed in clashes.
Many on both sides were also killed in clashes in the Kahboub Mountains and in areas between the Lahj and Taiz regions, as the Houthis seek to dominate the highlands overlooking Bab al-Mandab to protect newly seized territory.
The Riyadh-backed government’s forces had earlier repelled overnight attacks by the Houthis on a key supply route to Yemen’s third biggest city Taiz from the southern port city of Aden where the internationally recognised administration is based, sources said.
The Houthis have kept up pressure on government forces seeking to consolidate their power through a steep winding mountain pass. Known as Hejat al-Abd, the road is a lifeline for forces fighting on behalf of Yemen’s government, which has been hemmed in by the Houthis. The road is also critical for goods entering Taiz and its southern and western rural areas. It is the only route for residents seeking to travel abroad, with no commercial flights operating .
Seizing parts of the Taiz-Aden road could allow the Houthis to tighten their grip around Taiz and deal another blow to the government.
Meanwhile, the United Nations human rights chief expressed alarm Thursday over the growing civilian toll as the conflict worsens.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said he was “appalled” by the situation, warning that civilians were suffering the consequences of the renewed fighting.
“As if the people of Yemen haven’t already endured enough misery, civilians are now bearing the brunt of this latest upsurge in fighting,” Turk said, adding that “civilians must never be targeted, and their protection must be the overriding priority”.
Turk’s office said at least 125 civilians had been killed or injured in Houthi attacks since the beginning of August.
Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2026
