Yemen Conflict: Houthi Missiles Reach Mecca, Medina as Army Reports 700 Operations

The collapse of the 2022 ceasefire in July has triggered a sustained campaign of long-range strikes against Saudi infrastructure. On Saturday, Houthi forces launched a new wave of attacks that reached the Saudi heartland and the port city of Aden, intensifying the conflict between the Iran-backed group and the internationally recognized Yemeni government.

Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency stated on X that two ballistic missiles were fired toward Mecca and Medina. The agency warned of falling shrapnel after intercepting the projectiles. Images from the Saudi Press Agency showed a large, blackened missile fragment landing within Saudi territory. The Houthi group disputed the targeting of the holy cities, calling the official account a huge lie. They claimed their intended targets were three Saudi airports, oil infrastructure, and an airbase.

In Aden, the Yemeni Transport Ministry condemned the fourth missile strike on Aden International Airport this month. The ministry said the attacks threaten civil aviation safety and carry economic and humanitarian consequences for residents who rely on the facility. Yemeni authorities also reported that the coastguard headquarters and another building were hit. Houthi forces claimed responsibility for striking the al-Nasr camp and a naval military base in the city.

Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, a Yemeni army spokesman, announced that government forces conducted more than 700 targeting operations in the previous 24 hours. He said these actions neutralized 300 Houthi fighters and disabled military vehicles. The spokesman noted that the operations focused on field command centres, weapons depots, and supply lines in Taiz, a region experiencing days of intense clashes. Al Jazeera could not independently verify these figures.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, described the Houthi attacks as heinous in a statement shared on Saturday. He said the strikes embodied a blatant disregard for the lives and security of civilians. Riyadh has not yet issued a formal comment regarding Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reports that Saudi coalition airstrikes killed several civilians in Sanaa and Hodeidah on Saturday.

A separate incident occurred in Sanaa, a city under Houthi control, on Friday. Yemen’s army announced that a malfunctioning Houthi missile crashed into a family home, killing three people. The military noted that this was one of several missile malfunctions observed from the group in recent weeks.