Saudi Arabia condemns Houthi attacks on its territory
RIYADH
TOPSHOT - This handout image release by the Iran-backed Houthi forces on Sept. 7, 2026, purportedly show a ballistic missile strike on trucks carrying military equipment from Saudi Arabia to the Al-Wadiah military camp in Yemen's Hadhramaut province. (via AFP)
Saudi Arabia condemns Houthi attacks on its territory Saudi Arabia on Sept. 8 condemned Houthi attacks on its territory that wounded 73 people, saying it will "take all necessary measures to defend its sovereignty".
The foreign ministry, in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, called for an "immediate halt to all forms of escalation practised by this militia" as well as Houthi attacks on shipping.
Saudi Arabia said attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting energy facilities on Sept. 8 sparked fires and the temporary shutdown of some operations.
"Several energy sector facilities and installations in the southern region of the kingdom were targeted this morning," the official Saudi Press Agency quoted an energy ministry source as saying.
"The attacks caused fires at several locations, leading to a temporary halt in some operations", as well as several injuries, it said.
Strikes on Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels wounded 73 people, a Riyadh-led coalition said on Sept. 8, vowing to respond to the attacks.
Days of fighting near the Red Sea coast have left more than 300 people dead and displaced hundreds of families as the Houthis try to capture land bordering the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Houthi media Ansarollah said on Sept. 8 the rebels hit targets in Saudi Arabia, including Abha International Airport, King Khalid air base and facilities belonging to state-owned oil giant Aramco in Abha and Jizan.
"The Terrorist Houthi Militia's senseless attacks, the latest of which targeted civilian and economic sites", resulted in "injuries to (73) civilians," the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition said in a statement.
"The Command will also take all necessary measures and actions to respond to the sources of the threat and neutralise its danger."
The strikes came after the Houthis accused Riyadh on Sept. 7 of carrying out strikes around Yemen, including the deadly bombardment of a prison.
The attack on the jail in Al-Hazm in the country's north killed 11 people and left 20 inmates missing under the rubble, rebel TV channel Almasirah quoted Hassan Saboula, director-general of civil defence in Jawf province, as saying.
Saba news agency, which is also affiliated with the Houthis, reported earlier that a child visiting the facility was among the dead.
The Houthis launched a broad offensive along frontlines on the western Red Sea coast in a bid to advance towards the Bab al-Mandab Strait, experts say.
The waterway forms the southern entrance to the Red Sea, a shipping artery that has become vital for Saudi oil exports during Tehran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the US-Iran war on Iran.
The war in Yemen between government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis reignited in July, following several years of calm.
The conflict, which has pitted the Houthis against the internationally recognised government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, has seen the rebels take over most of Yemen's major population centres, including the capital Sanaa.