Houthi Projectile Attack on Saudi Najran Province Injures 11 Civilians Including Four-Year-Old Child with Second-Degree Burns

Saudi Arabia's Joint Forces Command announced Friday that 11 civilians were injured in a Houthi attack on the southern Najran province on Thursday, August 6, 2026, according to Arab News, The National, and Xinhua. Saudi military spokesman Maj Gen Turki Al Maliki said the attack injured seven Saudi nationals, including a woman and a four-year-old child who sustained second-degree burns, along with one Yemeni, two Egyptians, and one Pakistani national. The terrorist Houthi militia carried out the attacks using indiscriminate shelling against civilian objects, Al Maliki said, calling the attack a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. The coalition said it would continue to take all necessary measures to protect civilians. The attack came a day after the Iran-backed Houthis launched their deadliest assault on Yemeni government forces since 2022, targeting military camps and units of the Armed Forces deployed in Marib and Hadramout provinces. The Houthis claimed responsibility for missile and drone strikes targeting what they described as Saudi military deployments in the two provinces, with Yemen's defense ministry reporting at least 30 military personnel killed, according to Just Security and AP News. The escalation occurs as Saudi Arabia braces for possible coordinated attacks by Houthi and Iran-backed Iraqi militias, with intelligence from the US, Saudi Arabia, and other Middle Eastern countries warning that such groups may soon strike key civilian sites including ports and airports. The GCC Secretary General condemned the Najran attack in the strongest terms, describing it as a heinous terrorist crime reflecting the criminal nature of the Houthi militias and underscoring that the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the security of the GCC states.