Three civilians, including two women, were killed and five others injured in shelling by Yemen’s Houthis in the southwestern province of Taiz, a government office said.
The government-run Office of Siege Affairs in Taiz said in a statement late Friday that three civilians were killed when the Houthis shelled the Sabir al-Mawadim district south of the province.
The office identified the victims as Safwan Saeed Obeid, 28, Asia Abdulsamad Saeed Ahmed, 55, and Safiya Hazza Saif al-Baadani.
It said the Houthis also carried out separate shelling attacks on the al-Shaqab area south of Taiz and Aqaqa in the west, injuring five civilians, including two women.
On Friday, the Yemeni army said it had repelled a large-scale Houthi attack on the al-Shaqab front south of Taiz following clashes that lasted around eight hours, killing 16 Houthi fighters and injuring others, according to the Taiz Military Axis.
The army also said it carried out airstrikes against Houthi positions at the al-Hangar checkpoint and the al-Maqbaba and al-Kamil hills in the al-Dabab area west of Taiz.
Read: Iran denies Saudi accusation of involvement in Houthi attacks, offers to mediate
It added that the strikes also targeted Houthi military reinforcements, weapons and equipment east of the al-Shaqab front.
The Houthis did not immediately comment on the army’s claims.
2nd tanker attack reported in same area off Saudi Arabia: UKMTO
A second tanker attack was reported in the same area off Saudi Arabia, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Saturday.
The latest incident occurred at 1922GMT Friday around 78 nautical miles (144 kilometres) northeast of Al Jubayl, according to a UKMTO advisory.
https://x.com/UK_MTO/status/2111358532528591354?s=20
The tanker’s master reported that the vessel was attacked with a rocket-propelled grenade fired from a small boat, damaging its aft port quarter.
All crew members were accounted for and reported safe, while a full assessment of the damage and any environmental impact was not immediately available.
Authorities are investigating the incident, while vessels in the area were advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.
Tanker hit by unknown projectile off Saudi Arabia: UK maritime agency
A tanker was struck by an unknown projectile off the coast of Saudi Arabia, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Saturday.
UKMTO said it received a delayed report of an incident that occurred at 0200PKT on Saturday, around 68 nautical miles northeast of Al Jubayl, Saudi Arabia.
https://x.com/UK_MTO/status/2111343387395919930?s=20
Citing the vessel’s company security officer, UKMTO said all crew members were safe and had been evacuated.
No environmental impact was reported at the time of the report.
Saudi-led coalition says it destroyed 2 Houthi missile launch platforms in Yemen
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late on Friday that it destroyed Houthi ballistic missile launch ramps.
Spokesman Turki al-Maliki said on US social media platform X that the coalition destroyed launch platforms in northwestern Saada province.
No additional details were provided about the operation.
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and several provinces in September 2014. That prompted the Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government.
Saudi Arabia backs UN Security Council statement urging cooperation to prevent Houthis from acquiring arms
Saudi Arabia welcomed a UN Security Council presidential statement condemning Houthi attacks against the kingdom and urging cooperation to prevent the group from obtaining weapons.
Read more: Pakistan condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, calls for immediate halt at UN
In a statement, the ministry welcomed the council’s condemnation of continued and escalating attacks by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia, including attacks targeting airports and energy infrastructure.
It also highlighted the council’s condemnation of “ongoing threats to navigation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb.”
“The Kingdom affirmed the importance of the statement’s provisions, including its emphasis on the importance of full implementation of Security Council resolution 2216 (2015) and subsequent resolutions, and its call for practical cooperation to prevent the terrorist Houthi group from acquiring weapons and other forms of support,” the statement said.
Resolution 2216 demands that the Houthis immediately and unconditionally end the use of violence, withdraw from areas they seized, including the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, hand over weapons taken from military and security institutions, cease exercising the powers of Yemen’s internationally recognised government and facilitate humanitarian and medical access to civilians.
The ministry said the kingdom reaffirmed its “inherent right under international law” to take all necessary measures to defend its security and protect its citizens and residents.
The UN Security Council presidential statement, adopted earlier this week, condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and “called for cooperation, including with the Government of Yemen, to prevent the Houthis from acquiring arms and related materiel.”
