Yemen’s Houthi group on Monday claimed it had launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at King Khalid Air Base in southwestern Saudi Arabia, in what it described as a major retaliatory operation amid escalating cross-border hostilities.
In a statement carried by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree said dozens of ballistic missiles and drones were fired at the Saudi military base in Khamis Mushait, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the Yemeni border. The operation targeted fighter-jet hangars, radar systems, runways, ammunition depots and other military facilities at the base, according to Saree. He claimed the strikes were “precise and direct” and caused significant damage, Xinhua News Agency reported. Saree said the missile and drone operation was carried out in retaliation for what the Houthis described as an intensifying Saudi air campaign in Yemen.
At the same time, they said Saudi vessels would continue to be excluded under a maritime ban imposed by the group on July 20. Yemen’s conflict which began in late 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and large parts of northern Yemen. In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
Following the advance on Friday, the Houthis said international navigation through the Bab al-Mandab Strait remained “free, safe and smooth”.
The group has captured several areas previously held by the Yemeni government in Red Sea Hodeidah province and neighbouring southwestern Taiz province.
