As per reports, a spokesperson for the Iran-backed group stated that the latest attack came as part of “a broad operation.” Yemeni militant group, the Houthis, said that they targeted Saudi Arabia’s Aramco with drones and ballistic missiles on Tuesday.
The strikes come as the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen intensified following the collapse of a 2022 ceasefire. the Yemeni militant group has also renewed its conflict with Saudi Arabia, which dates back to the 2014 civil war While the Houthis have backed Iran in its war with the US and Israel. Since 2014, the Houthis have been in conflict with a Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government. After the Houthi takeover of Sana’a in 2015, a Gulf coalition led by Saudi Arabia worked towards economically isolating Yemen and launched air strikes with the help of intelligence inputs from the US. The UN stepped in and brokered a ceasefire, which came into effect in April 2022.
The latest flare-up comes as the Houthis and Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government forces of Yemen fight over control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait on the Red Sea. The renewed strikes between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia come amid the disruption caused by the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran in the region. The truce lapsed in October, but despite this, both sides had refrained from major escalations until this year.
Earlier this year, the Houthis had also struck Najran Airport in Saudi Arabia with a drone.
