Yemeni Army claims 300 Houthi deaths as missile debris hits Saudi holy cities
The government reports 700 operations in Taiz while Houthi missiles target Aden airport and Saudi Arabia, with the group denying it aimed at Mecca and Medina.
By Malik Salazar ·
The Yemeni military claims to have killed 300 Houthi fighters in the last 24 hours as missile debris landed in Saudi Arabia’s two holiest cities. The conflict has intensified with a new wave of attacks on both the regional rival and the government in Aden.
Colonel Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, a Yemeni army spokesman, said government forces conducted more than 700 targeting operations. He stated these actions neutralized 300 fighters and disabled vehicles, though Al Jazeera could not independently verify the numbers. The operations targeted command centers, weapons depots, and supply lines in Taiz, where fighting has persisted for days.
In Aden, the Transport Ministry said two ballistic missiles hit the international airport on Saturday. This marked the fourth missile incident at the facility in October. Authorities also reported strikes on the coastguard headquarters and another building. The Houthis claimed responsibility for hitting the al-Nasr camp and a naval base in the city.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defence agency confirmed the launch of two ballistic missiles toward Mecca and Medina on Saturday. The agency warned of falling shrapnel after intercepting the projectiles. Images from the Saudi Press Agency showed a large, blackened missile-shaped object within Saudi territory. Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, described the strikes as a blatant disregard for civilian safety.
The Houthi group disputed the official target narrative. They called the claim that they aimed at Mecca and Medina a huge lie. Instead, they stated their intended targets were three Saudi airports, oil infrastructure, and an airbase. Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV also reported that Saudi airstrikes killed civilians in Sanaa and Hodeidah on Saturday, a claim Riyadh has not yet formally addressed.
A Houthi missile malfunctioned on Friday and crashed into a family home in Sanaa, killing three people. The Yemeni army noted this was one of several malfunctions observed from the Iran-backed group in recent weeks. The current phase of the conflict has been defined by long-range strikes on Saudi energy and airports since a 2022 ceasefire collapsed in July.
