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The Saudi-led coalition announced on September 15, 2026 that it would respond firmly to a barrage of Houthi ballistic missile and drone attacks that wounded 13 civilians in the cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif in southern Saudi Arabia, with the strikes causing damage to seven homes and two vehicles. Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki said the Joint Forces Command would deal with these attacks responsibly and firmly to protect the sovereignty of the kingdom. The coalition vowed to take all necessary operational measures to deter what it described as the hostile and extremist approach of the Iran-aligned rebels.
In the immediate aftermath the coalition carried out more than 50 airstrikes on Houthi positions the rebels reported. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree identified the use of F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets launched from Saudi bases in the affected cities. The strikes reportedly hit areas in Taiz province resulting in civilian casualties according to Houthi-aligned media.
Hazem al-Assad a member of the Houthis’ politburo declared that the Yemeni response will continue and escalate as long as Saudi Arabia persists in its aggression against our people. The latest incidents mark a sharp escalation in the decade-long conflict that has ravaged Yemen since the Saudi-led intervention began in 2015. The Houthis have expanded their operations to include repeated strikes on Saudi territory and maritime targets in the Red Sea.
The Houthis seized control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait in recent days according to conflict monitors. These advances have disrupted international shipping and contributed to a surge in global oil prices beyond the $100 per barrel mark after previous attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia as the world’s leading crude exporter has seen its oil facilities become frequent targets in the ongoing hostilities.
The renewed fighting has displaced nearly 94,000 people in Yemen according to humanitarian updates. A separate Houthi strike in western Yemen killed eight soldiers from government forces on Monday two military sources confirmed. The coalition continues to back Yemen’s internationally recognised government in its efforts to counter the Houthi advance.
