• Yemeni government forces say the Houthis have launched new attacks on north-central Marib city, targeting “its neighborhoods and displaced persons camps with ballistic missiles”.

Firefighters extinguish blaze at Saudi Aramco facility in Jizan

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy says firefighters have “extinguished a fire that broke out at dawn” in a facility belonging to the Saudi Aramco refinery in Jizan.

It did not say what caused the fire and said there were no injuries.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have previously claimed attacks on Saudi oil facilities in Jizan, located on the Red Sea near the border with Yemen, while Saudi authorities have also blamed Iran-backed militias in Iraq for such attacks.

The Reuters news agency, citing a note from the IIR consultancy firm, said Aramco shut down its 400,000 barrel-per-day refinery in Jizan on July 27 following an attack by the Houthis that damaged the plant’s Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) complex and tank farm area.

Ongoing fighting in Yemen could ‘lead to civil war’

The Yemeni armed forces have issued a statement for the first time in recent months announcing a military operation against Houthi positions on several battlefronts.

According to the statement, this is in retaliation for the latest escalation by the Houthis over the past couple of days. The Houthis have stepped up their military attacks, targeting Yemeni armed forces, military positions and weapon depots across the province.

The army spokesperson said that if the Houthis continue their attacks against the Yemeni armed forces, then they will retaliate and attack relentlessly.

We’ve seen over the past couple of days that the Houthis shifted to a preemptive military attack mode, targeting military positions of the Yemeni army before they can have time to carry out any military offensive.

According to the Houthis, they are attacking because they suspect that the Yemeni army is coordinating with Saudi Arabia and is in the final stages of a military operation aimed at targeting Houthi positions in the areas and in the territories that are under their control.

The UN has also issued a statement calling for de-escalation, but mainly condemning the latest ballistic and drone attacks by the Houthis and also condemning the Yemeni group’s attacks on oil tankers in the Red Sea.

If the situation does not de-escalate, experts are warning that this could very well lead to another civil war in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia hails UNSC condemnation of Houthi attacks on kingdom

The Saudi Foreign Ministry has welcomed a UN Security Council statement that condemned Houthi missile attacks against the kingdom and commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

The ministry also reiterated its calls on the international community to take a resolute stance against actions and violations that threaten the security and stability of the region, the safety of navigation and global commerce, and impair the ongoing efforts to achieve peace in Yemen.

In the statement, UNSC members also condemned aircraft landings, without approval from Yemen’s internationally recognised government, at Sanaa airport on July 3 and Hodeidah airport on July 13.

The council reiterated that UNSC Resolution 2216 prohibits the supply, sale, or transfer of arms, related materiel, and assistance to individuals and entities sanctioned over Yemen, including the Houthis.

If one leaves out the difference between the crisis in Palestine and the crisis in Yemen and look at whether there is a similarity, one will notice that occupation is in both cases the issue.

The Israelis occupy Gaza, the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and parts of Syria, while the Ansarullah Houthis are 'occupying' the western part of Yemen after having captured Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, forcing the Saudi-backed government to flee to the eastern part of Yemen.

We notice a double standard at the UNSC as it has been supposed to make the same conclusion but against the Israeli occupation of Palestine, Southern Lebanon and Western Syria months, if not years ago.

Then, the Saudi-back government brought in a way the war on Iran to Yemen by bombing the landing strip at Sana'a International Airport to prevent a passenger plane landing, which had a delegation on board that returned from Khamenei's funeral.

The Saudis are suspected of giving intelligence about the flight to their ally. That is why the Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of being behind the bombardment. 

Kuwait welcomes UN condemnation of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry has lauded a UN Security Council statement condemning Houthi missile attacks against Saudi Arabia since July 13 and attacks on commercial shipping since July 22.

The Houthis – who control much of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa – have carried out repeated drone and missile strikes against Saudi Arabia and targeted commercial vessels in the Red Sea and surrounding waters, disrupting one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

The attacks have drawn widespread international condemnation and prompted calls for enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 2216, which imposed an arms embargo on the Houthis.

Kuwait expressed full appreciation for the Security Council’s affirmation of the need to adhere to international law and relevant resolutions, including Resolution 2216, and its rejection of acts threatening regional security and freedom of maritime navigation.

The ministry renewed Kuwait’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for all measures Riyadh takes to preserve its sovereignty and security. It also reaffirmed Kuwait’s support for Yemen’s legitimate government and for the UN special envoy’s efforts to achieve peace and stability in Yemen.

Houthis claim attack on Saudi Aramco facility in Jizan

The Yemeni group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Saudi Aramco oil facility in Jizan that caused a fire this morning, according to Al Masirah TV.

In a statement, it said it targeted the facility with drones and the attack was in response to Saudi drone attacks on Yemen’s Saada and Hajjah provinces.

Earlier, the Saudi Ministry of Energy said firefighters had “extinguished a fire that broke out at dawn” in a facility belonging to the Saudi Aramco refinery in Jizan, a Red Sea port close to the Yemeni border.

It said there were no injuries.

Yesterday, Turkey have said that the Mecca deterrence pact was not addressing Iran. So, if no country is addressed then it is to the Ansarullah Houthis.

The signatories of the  have not responded yest.

Houthi attack on Saudi Aramco ‘major escalation’

The Houthi attack on Aramco is a major escalation, especially just one day after the Mecca defence pact was signed between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye.

Ansar Allah (Houthi) officials are saying that if Turkiye or Pakistan plan on violating Yemeni sovereignty or engaging with Saudi Arabia in any attacks or hostile actions against Yemen, then they will be taught a very hard lesson.

This is perhaps sending a message to this new pact that the Ansar Allah is going to continue its military escalations and is going to continue to target Saudi Arabia’s most precious jewel: Aramco oil facilities and oil transport infrastructure.

And in the midst of this, they are also targeting Saudi Arabia’s allies on the ground, which are the Yemeni government forces in the eastern governorate of Hadramout, also in the governorate of Marib, where clashes have reportedly been taking place for the past few hours.

Renewed clashes are taking place in parts of Taiz and in Marib, according to some on-the-ground sources.

So, it’s all indicating that this protracted conflict, which has existed for 12 years, is only going to continue to escalate unless negotiations take place in the near future.

Houthis target Yemen’s al-Makha port with missiles, drones

Houthis have targeted Yemen’s Red Sea port of al-Makha in the southwest, controlled by the Saudi-backed government, with missiles and drones, according to Yemen Today TV and state-run Saba TV.

The port’s director was quoted by Yemen Today as saying that several missiles had targeted civilian areas at the facility.

The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the strike at the time of reporting.

Houthis confirm they targeted Yemen’s al-Makha port on Red Sea coast

Yahya Saree, the Houthi spokesperson, says the movement’s forces have carried out “a large-scale and precise” operation against Yemen’s al-Makha port.

They claimed the target was “Saudi enemy troops and weapons depots”.

Houthis claim ‘widespread’ casualties in attack on al-Makha port

The statement by the Houthis movement claims that the recent attack, which was carried out with “a large number of ballistic missiles and drones” on the Red Sea port, was “accurate”.

According to the movement’s military spokesman, it “resulted in widespread destruction” of equipment and weapons and “the death and injury of dozens, including Saudis”.

The statement said: “We will not allow the Saudi enemy to achieve its goals of targeting our people and throwing our sons into the inferno of death to serve its conspiratorial agenda for the benefit of the enemies of the nation.”

Houthis could be planning to retake Yemen’s historic port of al-Makha

All of these strikes that have occurred within the past week came as a surprise to Yemen’s army forces. They’ve hit places they haven’t hit in recent years, including the port of al-Makha.

The statement that was issued by Yahya Saree, the Ansar Allah [Houthi] military spokesperson, called it a widespread destruction operation, which involved dozens of missiles and Yemeni drones, which targeted what he’s referring to as a Saudi buildup in the port of al-Makha.

This is an indication that the Ansar Allah group is perhaps planning to make a move to try to retake the port. It’s a strategic port that sits on the western coast of Taiz.

It gives a strategic advantage, not just to the Red Sea but also overseeing the oil tankers, the ship movements that are coming in from the Arabian Sea.

The Ansar Allah – Houthis – are saying that the reason for the attack is because they believe Saudi Arabia is using that port to reinforce and to resupply Yemeni government forces who are stationed in that part of Taiz.

Houthi attack on Yemen’s al-Makha port kills at least 7 people: Army

At least seven people have been killed in this morning’s Houthi rebel air attack on Yemen’s al-Makha port, according to the country’s military spokesperson.

Earlier, the Houthis had claimed responsibility for the attack carried out with “a large number of ballistic missiles and drones”, saying the target was “Saudi enemy troops and weapons depots”.

Yemeni media says 35 wounded in Houthi strikes on al-Makha

The army of Yemen’s internationally recognised government announced that an attack claimed by the Houthis killed at least seven people in the country’s al-Makha port.

The attack, which also hit surrounding residential areas in the district, wounded about 35 people, according to local media reports citing medical sources.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack carried out with “a large number of ballistic missiles and drones”, saying the target was “Saudi enemy troops and weapons depots”.

Yemeni government condemns Houthi attack on al-Makha port

Yemen’s government has condemned a “terrorist attack” by Houthi forces on al-Makha port, according to a statement published by the Saba news agency.

The attack in Taiz governorate fits a “systematic approach” by the Houthis to target ports and infrastructure while claiming the government is besieging Yemen, calling this “the undeniable irony”, given the militia’s own strikes on civilian and economic facilities.

The government said it was “an act of war against the state, society and the national economy”, accusing Iran of backing the Houthis with weapons and expertise, and warning the threat now extends to “regional and international security” and Red Sea shipping.

It said it will “fully assume its national and constitutional responsibilities” to protect ports and vital facilities and called on the international community to move “beyond statements of condemnation” towards cutting off Houthi funding and weapons.

Houthis renew attacks on al-Makha port, says Yemen army spokesperson

Houthi fighters in Yemen have renewed attacks on the Red ⁠Sea port city ⁠of al-Makha, a Yemeni military spokesperson told Reuters.

Video ‌broadcast by the Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV showed the launch of several ballistic ⁠missiles and drones. They targeted Saudi troop concentrations and ‌weapons depots, said Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree ⁠on Telegram.

Yemen’s army said an earlier attack on Sunday killed at least seven people and injured dozens.