Houthis strike Marib again as U.N. warns Yemen nearing wider conflict

Key Points:

• Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched ballistic missiles and drones targeting displacement camps and residential areas in Marib, killing two and injuring 14, according to local authorities cited by Yemen’s state news agency SABA.
• The Houthis claimed their strikes targeted Saudi-backed forces and military assets at the Sahn al-Jinn camp, while government sources reported at least 30 Yemeni troops were killed in Houthi attacks on military camps in Marib and Hadramawt the previous day.
• The Houthis justified their attacks by alleging a significant Saudi military buildup in the two provinces, signaling escalating hostilities in the ongoing conflict.
• U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg warned that recent attacks, including assaults on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, have brought Yemen to its highest risk of large-scale conflict since the 2022 truce, urging restraint and renewed U.N.-led negotiations.
• The Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia last month in retaliation for what they claim is a Saudi siege of Yemen, a charge Riyadh denies, reflecting deepening tensions in the region.