Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of 26 strikes in 24 hours

September 19, 2026 at 04:14 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Yemen's Houthi rebels said Saudi Arabia carried out 26 strikes on Houthi-held areas in the past 24 hours. The claim came as fighting between the Saudi-backed government and the Iran-aligned group escalated across several fronts. The Houthis also said Saudi strikes on their territory reached 300 over the past week.

Key Facts

Houthi rebels said Saudi Arabia carried out 26 strikes on Houthi-held areas in the past 24 hours.
The Houthis claimed Saudi strikes on their territory reached 300 over the past week.
Yemen's Saudi-backed government said its forces killed 30 Houthi rebels and wounded more than 60 in clashes in Taiz province on Friday.
Saudi Arabia said one person was killed in Taif governorate after a Houthi drone was intercepted.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Operation Aspides raised its alert level as the situation worsened.

Escalating Reciprocal Attacks

The Houthis said Saudi Arabia carried out 26 strikes against areas under their control in the past 24 hours, according to AFP. On Friday, the group claimed Saudi strikes on Houthi-held territory had reached 300 over the past week. Yemen's Saudi-backed government said its forces killed 30 Houthi rebels and wounded more than 60 in clashes in the al-Wazi'iyah district of Taiz province. Saudi Arabia said one person was killed in the Taif governorate after a Houthi drone was intercepted, while Houthi-linked media reported deaths from Saudi strikes in Taiz and the town of Abs.

International Response

US officials met Houthi representatives at the US embassy in Muscat over the weekend after the group's territorial gains raised concern over shipping through Bab al-Mandeb. The Houthis reportedly assured Washington that vessels not linked to Saudi Arabia would not be targeted. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Operation Aspides raised its alert level as the situation in the region worsened. Kallas said Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia are unacceptable and sabotage the global economy, adding she had spoken with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud about diplomatic efforts.