A drone the Houthi rebels said was launched toward Mocha, Yemen, on Sunday. [Xinhua]
A drone the Houthi rebels said was launched toward Mocha, Yemen, on Sunday. [Xinhua]

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed Sunday to have struck Saudi Arabian forces stationed in Mocha, a port city in the country's southwest, saying they were acting as a front in the broader conflict between the United States and Iran.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sari said in a statement that the group had "carried out a large-scale precision strike operation targeting concentrations of Saudi enemy forces and weapons depots in the Mocha area."

Sari said the rebels deployed multiple ballistic missiles and drones to extensively destroy Saudi equipment and weapons, and released photographs and other materials — including footage of drones taking off — to support the claim. He said the strikes caused dozens of casualties, including Saudis.

Sari said the attack was a response to "Saudi Arabia's continued military buildup and resupply of weapons and equipment, and its attacks on the western coast and Taiz province."

Saudi Arabia had not issued a statement in response.

AFP reported that a military base belonging to pro-government forces on the outskirts of Mocha, as well as islands near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, were also hit in the Houthi strikes. Yemen's government-aligned medical authorities said 11 people were killed — three civilians and eight soldiers — and 32 others were wounded, though no Saudi military casualties were reported.

Earlier that day, the Houthis also claimed to have struck an Aramco oil refinery in Saudi Arabia's Jizan region with drones before dawn, saying a fire that broke out at the facility was caused by their drone strike.

The Houthis had previously struck the Aramco refinery complex in Jizan province with missiles on July 25, after Saudi Arabia attacked the Houthi-held port of Hodeidah. The Iran-backed group has since declared a Red Sea blockade, holding Saudi Arabia responsible for attacks on Sanaa International Airport — which the Houthis control — and vowing to inflict economic damage by cutting off the Red Sea, a key route for Saudi oil exports.

As part of that campaign, the Houthis have been attacking Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, while Saudi Arabia has been striking Houthi-held areas of Yemen in response.


kate01@heraldcorp.com