Houthis claim major missile, drone attack on Saudi air base as rebels seize Red Sea islands

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi terror group claimed Monday that it carried out a large-scale ballistic missile and drone attack on King Khalid Air Base in southern Saudi Arabia, as the group simultaneously expanded its control over strategic islands along the Red Sea shipping route.

The Houthis said dozens of ballistic missiles and drones targeted military infrastructure at the base in Khamis Mushait, including aircraft hangars, radars, runways and ammunition depots.

The group claimed the strikes caused significant damage to the base. The extent of the damage could not be verified immediately.

The Houthis stated that the operation was carried out in response to what they described as more than 300 Saudi airstrikes across Yemen during the previous five days.

The group said Saudi F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets carried out those strikes from Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases.

Saudi Arabia has carried out strikes against Houthi targets amid a sharp renewed escalation between the kingdom and the Iran-backed group, but the Houthi figure of more than 300 strikes was not independently confirmed.

The Houthis threatened further operations inside Saudi territory if the strikes on Yemen continued, saying they would respond to any additional escalation with larger attacks.

The Monday claim followed a major Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia the previous week, when the group used missiles and drones against Khamis Mushait and Saudi energy infrastructure. Saudi authorities said those attacks wounded more than 70 people and caused fires at oil facilities.

Houthis make territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast 

At the same time, the Houthis have made significant territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and on islands near the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Yemeni government and Houthi officials said Monday that the rebels had captured Greater Hanish and Lesser Hanish, two islands roughly 160 kilometers north of the strait.

The takeover followed the group’s seizure of Mocha and Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, during its rapid advance along Yemen’s western coastline.

The Houthis had reached the Hanish Islands several days earlier as government forces withdrew from positions in the area, according to Yemeni military sources.

Government forces backed by Saudi Arabia attempted over the weekend to regroup and launch a counteroffensive following the Houthi advances around the Bab al-Mandab Strait.