Sept 9 (Reuters) – The Houthis attacked the southern Saudi cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait and Jazan with ballistic missiles and drones on Wednesday, a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said, marking the second consecutive day of Houthi attacks on the kingdom.
The Iran-aligned Houthis were continuing attacks on Saudi Arabia’s national assets and infrastructure, coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense lifted alerts in Khamis Mushait and Abha on Wednesday, a day after Houthi attacks there and in two nearby cities wounded 73 people and set oil installations ablaze.
Al-Malki said the coalition would respond to the attacks “responsibly” to protect Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, national assets, and civilians.
Houthis struck an airbase in Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in nearby cities on Tuesday in one of the biggest attacks in Saudi Arabia since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in February.
Fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has escalated in recent months, raising fears of a return to broader conflict after a U.N.-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted years of war.
Saudi Arabia leads an Arab coalition that backs a government based in Yemen’s south, which was driven from the capital Sanaa by the Houthis 12 years ago. The conflict has become a theatre in the wider regional war, with the Houthis close allies of Iran and Saudi Arabia an ally of the United States.
The Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea in July, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to strike what it said were Houthi military facilities in Yemen.
In recent days, Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have launched a multi-pronged offensive on Houthi-held areas after the group attempted to advance on government positions. The government says it aims to recapture all Houthi-held territory.
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV, citing the group’s health ministry, said at least 32 people had been killed in Saudi strikes on Yemen’s Al Jawf over the past two days. Saudi Arabia has not announced or confirmed carrying out strikes there.
Saudi Arabia has described the Houthi attacks as a dangerous escalation, while the Saudi-led coalition has said it would take measures to deter further attacks. The Houthis say their strikes are in response to Saudi escalation in Yemen.
(Reporting by Jana Choukeir, Yomna Ehab and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Jan Harvey and Deepa Babington)
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