Saudi-led Coalition Launches Airstrikes on Houthi Targets in Hudaydah

The recent military action, which involved strikes on weapons and fuel depots, represents the most significant flare-up between the Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in years. According to reports from the region, the coalition targeted sites across Hudaydah, including the state telecommunications corporation facilities and Kamaran Island, in a move to counter what officials described as Houthi aggression against maritime navigation and Saudi shipping. Saudi channel Al Arabiya reported explosions at weapons depots in the city, while Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV also reported that Saudi forces targeted facilities belonging to the state telecommunications corporation in Hodeidah city.

Retaliation and the “Eye for an Eye” Equation

The cycle of violence began about a week and a half ago following a Saudi strike on the international airport in Sanaa, which the Houthis said was intended to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing there. The strike came as part of what the Houthis described as a “blockade” that Riyadh was attempting to impose on them in an effort to isolate them. Hours after the Saudi attack, the Houthis launched missiles toward Saudi airports in retaliation. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that the group targeted the international airport in Saudi Arabia’s Abha, the capital of a mountainous southern region bordering Yemen.

Houthi leadership explicitly tied their naval operations to this broader conflict, citing a policy of reciprocal escalation. Yahya Saree said on Monday: The Houthi forces announce a naval embargo against the Saudi enemy, based on the equation of ‘an eye for an eye.’ We affirm our people’s right to respond to a blockade with a blockade and to respond to any escalation with escalation.

Houthis Declare Maritime Blockade on Saudi Arabia Threatening Oil Supplies

“A port for a port, an airport for an airport. Any escalation will be met with a more severe escalation.”

Hazam al-Asad, senior Houthi figure

Coalition Response in Hudaydah

The Saudi-led coalition, which has sought to avoid a return to full-scale conflict since a 2022 truce halted most major fighting, confirmed that its recent operations were directed at military sites linked to attacks on Saudi shipping. The spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said on X that the coalition intercepted missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward the southern region.

A Yemeni source confirmed in a conversation with ynet that the Houthis were behind the attack on the Saudi ship, adding: Maritime navigation systems were targeted at the port of Hudaydah, and according to reports, weapons and fuel depots were also hit, along with many other sites throughout the city.

Stakes for the 2022 Truce

Saudi Arabia previously led a broad bombing campaign against the Houthis after the rebels seized the capital Sanaa in late 2014 and ousted the internationally recognized government. In 2015, the kingdom formed a military coalition and launched a wide-ranging campaign that included thousands of airstrikes, a naval and air blockade, and support for Yemeni government forces. While the coalition prevented the Houthis from taking control of all of Yemen, it failed to defeat them, and the Houthis continued to launch missiles and drones at Saudi cities, airports, and oil facilities.

Starting in 2022, Saudi Arabia changed its approach, promoting direct talks with the Houthis and focusing on efforts to advance a political settlement and support the Yemeni government through economic aid. Until the current escalation, relative calm was maintained along much of the border, although a comprehensive peace agreement was never reached. The current targeting of a Saudi airport and the announcement of a naval blockade have tested Saudi patience, threatening the stability of the southern border and potentially impacting the kingdom’s ability to export oil via pipelines that bypass the Strait of Hormuz.