Houthis claim hit on Saudi base after renewed fighting with Yemeni government forces
Posted Sun 13 Sep 2026 at 11:13amSun 13 Sep 2026 at 11:13amSun 13 Sep 2026 at 11:13am
In short:
Renewed fighting has erupted between the Iran-backed Houthis and Yemeni government forces, supported by Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince called Donald Trump last week requesting US military help against the Houthis, while the US president said his administration also took a call from the Houthis.
Global oil shipping has been put under more strain with the Houthis cementing their hold on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which has become an important waterway for Saudi Arabia amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthi fighters say they have attacked a military base in southern Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles as renewed fighting with Yemen’s government forces growing numbers of civilians to flee.
The attack at the southern Sharurah base targeted “weapons depots and command and control centres that are managing the aggression against our nation and people”, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree wrote on X.
The date of the operation was not specified. Clashes have increased this week between the Iran-allied Houthis and Yemeni government forces, which are backed by Riyadh.
On Saturday, local time, the government forces said they had struck Houthi fighters in the Red Sea city of Mocha, and later attacked other Houthi positions in the south-western part of the country.
It comes as US news site Axios reported Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had twice called US President Donald Trump to request American strikes on the Houthis last week, but it was rejected.
Three sources also told Reuters the crown prince phoned Mr Trump on Thursday, local time, and asked for US military help. They said Prince Salman was told Washington would not intervene directly for now but would help with intelligence.
Mr Trump confirmed on Saturday that he had spoken to the crown prince, and said the Houthis had also phoned his administration and asked the US not to become directly involved in the conflict.
The ongoing clashes follow a week-long Houthi offensive that culminated in the group capturing the remainder of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and several strategic islands, and cementing their hold on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the sea’s southern entrance.
The waterway has become an important artery for Saudi Arabian oil exports after Iran largely cut off shipments through the Gulf with its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the Middle East war.
The Houthis have recently declared their own maritime blockade of Riyadh’s Red Sea ports.
The government news agency Saba reported on Saturday that Yemeni forces “destroyed vehicles and weapons and killed members of the Houthi terrorist militia” near the port of Mocha, and quoted a spokesman for the forces as saying they had also struck Houthi targets just outside the city.
The Houthis, meanwhile, said on Saturday evening that over the previous 48 hours, “Saudi enemy aircraft conducted 129 air strikes” on areas under their control.
On Saturday night, Saudi authorities said a Houthi projectile fell in an area near the border, resulting in two injuries and damage to a mosque, several buildings and vehicles.
More than 500 dead since renewed fighting
Yemen’s civil war, which began in 2014 with the Houthi capture of the capital Sanaa, had been dormant since a ceasefire in 2022 but roared back to life in July.
Saudi Arabia first entered the war on the side of Yemen’s internationally recognised government in 2015 and continues to support the Aden-based administration.
The civil war uprooted millions of people, and the latest fighting has led even more to flee their homes.
The fall of Mocha to the Houthis on Thursday drove many residents to Aden, where the internationally recognised government is based.
One of the displaced, Abdulali al-Rajihi, said the Houthis told people they had half an hour to leave.
“We fled wearing the clothes on our backs. And we took our children, as much as we could manage,”
he said.
The UN’s migration agency said on Saturday that since July, 76,000 people had fled the fighting, a figure that had quadrupled since last week.
It said it was providing support but warned that “needs are far outpacing what we can deliver” amid the “deteriorating” situation.
The renewed fighting in Yemen has killed more than 500 people, according to sources on both sides.
Trump says everything will be ‘fine and dandy’ in region
Following reports on the Saudi request for help, Mr Trump did not elaborate on whether the US would take any action but told reporters that “everything’s gonna work out fine and dandy” in the region.
In 2025, the United States conducted a seven-week bombing campaign against the Houthis in response to their repeated attacks on Red Sea shipping in support of Hamas in the Gaza war.
That effort ended with a negotiated ceasefire, though the Houthis kept up their missile and drone attacks targeting Israel.
More recently, the group has resumed attacks on ships in the Red Sea after declaring their maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia.
In the capital Sanaa, meanwhile, Houthi supporters were celebrating the freeing of 210 prisoners held for up to eight years in areas that fell to the group.
AFP/Reuters