Houthis Claim Drone and Missile Attack on Saudi Sharurah Base as Bab al-Mandeb Fighting Continues, Two Wounded in Separate Jazan Strike

Yemen's Houthis announced Sunday they had used drones and ballistic missiles to attack the Sharurah military base in southern Saudi Arabia, targeting weapons depots and command-and-control centers that Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said were managing aggression against Yemen, according to social media posts. Saree did not specify when the operation took place. Separately, Saudi Civil Defence reported Saturday that a Houthi projectile struck the al-Tuwal governorate in Jazan region, wounding two people and damaging a mosque, several buildings, and vehicles, calling the targeting of civilian objects a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law. The Sharurah attack claim and the Jazan strike are the latest in an escalating cycle of Houthi attacks on southern Saudi Arabia and Saudi-backed counterstrikes in Yemen, as the Iran-aligned group cements control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait following its capture of Yemen's entire Red Sea coast including Perim Island and the port of Mocha last week. The Bab al-Mandeb has become Saudi Arabia's critical alternative export route since Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, making Houthi advances along that corridor a direct threat to Riyadh's energy security. Earlier this week, the Houthis struck civilian and economic facilities in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jizan, and Najran, wounding 73 people. Saudi Arabia has vowed a firm response but has not confirmed conducting the airstrikes the Houthis accuse it of launching. The US has provided intelligence and targeting assistance to Saudi forces but declined Riyadh's request for direct military strikes on the Houthis.