▲ Saudi Aramco oil refinery
Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have engaged in an all-out battle for control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea.
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively blockaded in the wake of the US-Iran war, both sides have entered an uncompromising fight over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital lifeline that Saudi Arabia must secure for its oil exports.
Reuters and other outlets reported on the 8th, local time, that Houthi rebels used drones and missiles to strike four cities in southern Saudi Arabia: Khamis Mushayt, Abha, Najran, and Jizan.
The targets included a Saudi air force base and core refining and power facilities belonging to the state-owned oil company Aramco.
Saudi authorities stated that at least 73 people, including women and children, were injured in the attacks.
This marks the largest-scale strike targeting the Saudi mainland since the outbreak of the war between the US and Iran last February.
NASA satellite imagery captured thick black smoke billowing from the Jizan refinery and the Abha petroleum distribution center.
The Saudi-led coalition launched retaliatory strikes, vowing to eliminate the source of the threat.
Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, declared that they would respond decisively to deter terrorist militias, and Saudi fighter jets immediately launched retaliatory airstrikes on Jubah, east of the Houthi-held Yemeni capital Sanaa, and the southwestern region of Taiz.
Previously, Saudi Arabia carried out massive airstrikes and missile strikes on rebel strongholds across Yemen over the past few days to thwart Houthi attempts to seize control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
At the time, Houthi rebels condemned Saudi Arabia, stating that over the past three days, it had launched 121 ruthless airstrikes from the Khamis Mushayt and Taif air bases targeting Marib, Al-Bayda, Al-Hodeidah, Taiz, and Al-Jawf.
They specifically claimed that the central prison in Al-Hazm, Al-Jawf Governorate, was attacked, resulting in numerous casualties, including women and children who were visiting inmates.
The civil war in Yemen between the Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition, which had shown a lull for years, took a turn for the worse following the Houthis' declaration to end the truce last month, and is now spiraling into an all-out war.
With the Houthi rebels stepping up military actions to tighten control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Yemeni government forces—backed by Saudi Arabia and based in the south—launching massive ground offensives on multiple fronts to recapture all Houthi-held territories, the number of casualties is surging rapidly.
AFP reported, citing sources from both the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government forces, that over 500 people have been killed from both sides in the past week.
According to AFP tallies, 216 personnel from the Yemeni government forces and 278 fighters from the Houthi rebels have died so far, alongside at least 29 civilian deaths.
On September 8, 2026, in Sanaa, Yemen, a citizen watches the latest news on television regarding the armed conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels.
In a statement that day, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea claimed responsibility for the large-scale military operation targeting multiple Saudi cities, including Aramco oil facilities.
As fierce clashes broke out, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that more than 18,500 displaced people have been generated along the western coast of Yemen over the past three days.
This all-out conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis is amplifying the global energy crisis, compounding the military standoff between the US and Iran unfolding in the Persian Gulf.
On the 8th, as news of the clashes broke, Brent crude spiked to $99.46 per barrel, threatening the $100 mark.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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