Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels hit oil facilities and utility sites across southern Saudi Arabia early Tuesday, wounding at least 73 people and forcing some energy operations to stop, Saudi officials said. Fires erupted at several locations, and emergency crews moved in to contain the blazes and assess the damage.
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the attackers struck civilian and economic targets in the cities of Abha, Jazan, Najran and Khamis Mushait. The wounded included women and children, he said. He described the strikes as a serious escalation and promised a response.
Saudi energy sites in the crossfire
Saudi Arabia's energy ministry said operations at some facilities were halted after the attacks. The kingdom is the world's top oil exporter, and any disruption to its energy infrastructure draws close attention from global markets.
The assault came hours after the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for an airstrike on a prison in Yemen's northern province of Jawf. At least seven people, including a child, were killed and seven others were wounded in the strike on the city of Hazem, the rebels said.
A truce falls apart
The renewed cross-border attacks have shattered a four-year truce that had eased fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government and its allies. In recent weeks, the two sides have battled with growing intensity on the ground in Yemen.
The human cost has climbed quickly. The World Health Organization says at least 194 people were killed and more than 880 wounded between August 23 and September 5. The United Nations reports that more than 21,000 people have been displaced, including about 18,500 in the southwestern cities of Taiz and Hodeida, over the past 27 hours.
What comes next
Yemen's civil war began in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country's north, forcing the government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year.
The latest exchanges raise the risk of a wider regional conflict at a time when diplomats have struggled to restart peace talks. Aid agencies warn that continued fighting will deepen one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with millions of Yemenis already dependent on food assistance.