Houthis claim 300 Saudi airstrikes across Yemen in one week

Sanaa: Yemen’s Houthi movement has alleged that Saudi Arabia carried out 300 airstrikes across the country over the past week, including 26 attacks on Taiz province in the latest 24-hour period.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on Friday that Saudi F-15 fighter jets conducted the strikes on Taiz after flying from Khamis Mushait airbase in southwestern Saudi Arabia.

According to Sarea, the reported attacks were carried out across nine Yemeni provinces by F-15 and Typhoon aircraft operating from Khamis Mushait and King Fahd airbases, Xinhua news agency reported.

Saudi authorities have not issued an immediate response to the allegations.

The reported airstrikes coincided with continued ground fighting in several parts of Yemen. Clashes were reported around the Kahbub mountain range in Lahj province, close to the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Fighting was also reported in parts of southwestern Taiz and in the oil-producing province of Marib, located farther northeast.

The latest escalation follows reported advances by the Houthis along Yemen’s southwestern Red Sea coastline earlier this month.

Yemen’s conflict began in late 2014 after the Houthis captured Sanaa and large parts of the country’s north. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.

Meanwhile, explosions were heard in Riyadh early Saturday, prompting residents to receive air-defence alerts through mobile applications.

Saudi Arabia’s Directorate of Civil Defence later said the threat had ended in Riyadh and Al-Kharj. It urged residents to follow official instructions and refrain from gathering or recording the incident.

Earlier, the authorities had issued an emergency warning for Al-Kharj through the National Early Warning Platform.

(Inputs from IANS)