Boiling Over: Houthis Launch Missile at Saudi Arabia

Yemen’s Houthi rebel group claimed to have launched a missile attack on Saudi Arabia on Saturday (25/7), just hours after swearing to avenge strikes against the kingdom as war spreads across the Middle East.

The Saudi military had attacked Houthi military targets in Hodeida, Yemen, on Friday (24/7), with rebel media reporting that two people were wounded in the Saudi strikes. The attacks came after the Iran-backed group announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and attacked its tanker ships.

The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of a “dangerous escalation” and said its actions “will not go unanswered”.

According to the AFP news agency on Saturday (25/7/2026), the Houthi-run Ansarollah media outlet said on Telegram on Saturday morning that “Yemeni missile strikes” had sparked fires in the city of Jizan on the Red Sea in southern Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the claim.

However, Riyadh’s civil defence authority earlier issued a brief warning to residents in Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday morning about “potential danger”. The warning was withdrawn minutes later.

Similar warnings had previously been issued when missiles or drones were fired towards the kingdom’s territory.

The warning came after the Saudi-led coalition said on Friday (24/7) that it had struck Houthi sites and destroyed targets threatening commercial shipping. The strikes were described as a response to Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

The Houthi group has been fighting the Yemeni government since 2014, in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people.

The recent exchanges threaten the 2022 ceasefire that has largely held until now.