Houthi attacks kill 11 in Yemen, target Saudi refinery

Strikes by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday killed at least 11 people, a medical source in the Yemeni port city of Mokha told AFP, after an earlier drone salvo targeted a Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea coast. The attacks came as a years-long truce in Yemen's civil war showed signs of collapse.

What happened in the Houthi attack on Mokha?

A medical source in Mokha, held by Yemen's internationally recognized, Aden-based government, said three civilians and eight military personnel were killed in the Houthi attacks. A further 32 people were wounded, including six civilians, all from strikes on the city's port. Two government military sources separately confirmed at least eight troops had died and more than 40 personnel were injured.

The truce between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government appeared to collapse last month as fighting between regional allies of the United States and Iran intensified. The breakdown of the UN-backed 2022 accord coincided with the Houthis announcing a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, striking Saudi tankers in the Red Sea alongside the kingdom's oil infrastructure, in parallel with Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Why did the Houthis attack the Saudi refinery?

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had targeted Saudi troops and equipment in the Mokha area with missiles and drones. He said the Houthis had earlier struck an oil facility on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, after the kingdom's energy ministry said a fire at the Jazan site had been extinguished. Saree said the strike on the Aramco-operated facility was launched in response to Saudi drone incursions into northwest Yemen.

Two military sources with the Aden-based government confirmed the Houthis attacked Mokha in several waves of missile and drone barrages. One source said the group also targeted pro-government forces and installations outside Mokha, along with sites on islands near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the shipping chokepoint at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. The source said some targeted locations housed Saudi troops, though no Saudi military casualties were reported.

Residents in Mokha told AFP they heard blasts across the area. One resident said they heard explosions from drones and air defenses over the port and city, while another described six consecutive explosions at the port. The Houthis control large parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and areas bordering Saudi Arabia's Red Sea provinces, and the threat to shipping and oil facilities comes as Iran presses its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, now the central flashpoint between Tehran and Washington.