• Yemeni forces reported that Houthi strikes using suicide drones and ballistic missiles left at least 18 troops dead.

Saudi crown prince and France’s Macron discuss regional security in call

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has discussed the situation in the Middle East and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea with French President Emmanuel Macron during a phone call, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

It said that the two leaders discussed joint efforts to enhance stability in the region and achieve security following attacks on Saudi targets by Yemen’s Iran-linked Houthis.

Latest Yemen escalation could spark new civil war

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis say they’ve killed at least 45 people in an attack that targeted three military bases in Yemen’s eastern province, considered a stronghold of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government backed by Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition said at least 11 civilians were wounded in the attack on Najran airport.

This is perhaps one of the Houthis’ biggest military operations against the Yemeni government.

The Houthis’ war strategy, which is now taking the fight to areas in the east of the country, is driven by a belief that the Saudi-backed government is planning preemptive strikes against the Iran-backed group.

Many experts and analysts say that violent escalation could be the spark for another civil war in the country.

GCC condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, has denounced the strikes on the Najran region of Saudi Arabia “in the strongest terms”, calling them “terrorist attacks”.

In a statement released on the organization's website, he said: “Targeting civilians is a heinous crime and embodies the criminal approach of these militias.”

The secretary-general added that the attack represents “a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, and a crime that warrants accountability”.

He stressed that the GCC supports the measures Saudi Arabia takes to “protect its security, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the safety of its citizens and residents”.

Yemen’s air defenses down a number of Houthi drones over Marib: State TV

The army of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has shot down Houthi drones launched towards the central Yemeni city of Marib, according to Yemeni state media reports.

Houthis pledge to maintain attacks against ‘Saudi proxies’

Since early morning, the Houthis, according to reports, have launched at least 12 missile attacks on the Yemeni provinces of Hadramout and Marib.

These are two of the Yemeni government’s strongholds that have come under attack over the past couple of days by the group, and according to Houthi officials, these missile and drone attacks will continue against what they called Saudi allies, or proxies, over Yemeni land.

This is the accusation directed towards the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

According to their latest statements, the Houthis believe the government is coordinating with Saudi Arabia for a potential ground offensive against Houthi positions. Of course, the Yemeni government also issued a couple of statements saying the only way this conflict is going to end is if the Houthi government in Sanaa relinquishes its power and its grip of control.

There is no security for Saudi forces and their backers: Houthi official

Hizam al-Assad, a member of the political bureau of the Houthi movement, has threatened Saudi Arabia’s army and its “mercenaries”.

“There is no security for the invading Saudi forces, nor for their mercenaries, nor for their camps on our land,” he said on X.

He added: “And whoever condemns the operations of our armed forces should open their country and territory to the establishment of Saudi camps, and allow the recruitment and enlistment of mercenaries from among their own people.”

“Our armed forces are compelled to reclaim our rights, lift the siege on our country, and confront every individual who obstructs our people’s path towards attaining their rights, freedom, and independence, regardless of their nationality,” he also said in a separate post.

Arab League chief condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, Yemeni government forces

Nabil Fahmy, the secretary-general of the League of Arab States, has condemned the Houthi attacks on the Najran region of Saudi Arabia, as well as the attacks on sites belonging to the Yemeni government forces in Marib and Hadramout.

In a statement, Fahmy stressed that targeting Saudi territory and endangering civilian lives, along with the attacks inside Yemen, represented a “very dangerous path that threatens the security and stability of the region and undermines the chances of de-escalation and a political settlement”.

“Fahmy expressed the Arab League’s full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the face of any aggression targeting its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, while stressing the need to stop the Houthi attacks and the ongoing escalation inside Yemen,” the statement read.

“The Secretary-General stressed that the current stage requires a halt to the escalation and refraining from any actions that would expand the circle of confrontation, and a return to the political track,” it added.

Two killed, 14 wounded in Houthi strikes on Marib, says Yemen’s health minister

Two civilians have been killed and 14 injured in the latest Houthi attacks on the central city of Marib, says the health minister of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.

Qasim Buhaibeh added that the toll is preliminary.

Yemeni state media said earlier that the army shot down multiple Houthi drones launched towards Marib and explosions were reported.

Qatar affirms solidarity with Saudi Arabia over Houthi attacks

The Qatari Foreign Ministry says it rejects the targeting of civilians and affirms its solidarity with measures being taken by Saudi Arabia in response to a Houthi attack on the kingdom’s southern Najran region.

GCC condemns Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia’s Najran region

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has denounced Houthi strikes on Najran in southern Saudi Arabia that wounded several civilians.

Secretary-General Jassim Mohammed Albudaiwi described the assault as an “act of terror that breaches both international and humanitarian law,” and emphasised that the kingdom’s security is inseparable from that of fellow GCC members, pledging full backing for Riyadh’s efforts to defend its borders and independence.

Yemen’s naval forces say they stopped an attack on an oil tanker in the Red Sea

The naval forces of Yemen’s internationally recognized government says it thwarted an attempt to target an oil tanker in the Red Sea with an explosive-laden boat.

According to military-linked media, naval patrols spotted the boat in waters near the al-Makha (Mocha) power plant this evening and “took the necessary measures”. The boat reportedly detonated before it could reach a target.

The naval forces attributed the attack to Yemen’s Houthi paramilitary group.

Yemen’s Houthis claim attack on Marib hit Saudi-backed forces, military equipment

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree has said Houthi forces attacked and hit Saudi-backed forces, depots and military equipment near the central city of Marib.

In a post on Telegram, Saree said the Houthis would continue to “strike forcefully any Saudi mobilization or forces brought by the Saudi enemy to maintain the siege imposed on our country”.

Earlier, as we reported, the health minister of Yemen’s internationally recognized government said Houthi attacks in Marib had killed at least two civilians and injured 14 others.

UN envoy warns Yemen faces risk of renewed large-scale conflict

The UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, has said that the latest attacks in Marib and Hadramout, together with renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, have left Yemen at greater risk of renewed large-scale conflict since the UN-brokered truce in April 2022.

He urged all sides to exercise maximum restraint and engage in UN-led negotiations, warning that the violence risked drawing Yemen deeper into a wider regional confrontation.

Grundberg noted that recent attacks by Houthis in Marib and Hadramout had reportedly resulted in casualties, including among civilians. He expressed concern over strikes against civilian infrastructure, including airports.

“Taken together, these developments risk jeopardizing the gains of the 2022 truce, reflected in the relative calm that has held inside Yemen in recent years, while also drawing the country into a broader regional confrontation, with devastating consequences for its people,” he said.