Saudi Arabia, Houthis Exchange Blows as Conflict Escalates<\/p>\n
Reporter<\/p>\n
September 17, 2026 | 10:59 pm<\/p>\n
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - At least five people were killed in the\nescalation between the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group and the\ninternationally recognized Yemeni government, supported by Saudi\nArabia.<\/p>\n
According to DW, Saudi Arabia accused the Houthis of a \u201ccowardly\u201d\nstrike on Mecca, the holiest city in Islam and the site of the hajj and\numrah pilgrimages, this week.<\/p>\n
The rebel group denied the accusations.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Houthis claimed Saudi warplanes targeted three\ntelecommunication towers in Taiz in southwestern Yemen.<\/p>\n
According to the Almisrah TV channel, backed by the Houthis, one\ncivilian was killed in the town of Abs in the northwest, with the\nchannel later reporting that three children were killed by strikes\ncarried out by Yemen\u2019s internationally recognized government.<\/p>\n
In Saudi Arabia, one person was killed by shrapnel from a downed\ndrone in the Mecca area, the country\u2019s civil defense agency said. Damage\nwas also caused to buildings and vehicles.<\/p>\n
This was the first reported death in Saudi Arabia in the current\nescalation between the two sides.<\/p>\n
Important strait taken over<\/p>\n
The truce between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, agreed on in 2022,\ncollapsed in July after the Iran-backed group allowed an Iranian plane\nto land in Yemen\u2019s capital Sanaa, which defied the Saudis\u2019 control over\nYemeni airspace. As a result of the escalation, the Houthis announced a\nmaritime blockade on Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
The Houthis have controlled Sanaa and much of Yemen\u2019s more populous\nwestern areas since the start of Yemen\u2019s civil war in 2014.<\/p>\n
The rebel group has reported dozens of Saudi strikes since its recent\noffensive to secure control over the coastal areas near the Red Sea\u2019s\nBab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world\u2019s most important shipping routes,\nfrom government hands.<\/p>\n
The strait\u2019s importance has increased since Iran put restrictions on\nthe Strait of Hormuz over the U.S. and Israel\u2019s war with Tehran.<\/p>\n
The conflict in Yemen has forced more than 100,000 people to flee\ntheir homes, according to UN figures.<\/p>\n
Read: Pakistan Condemns Attack Targeting the Holy City of Mecca<\/p>\n
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