Escalation of Conflict in Yemen
On Thursday, Saudi Arabia and the Iran-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen were involved in further exchanges of drone, missile, and aircraft strikes across their borders.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that fighting has led to the displacement of over 100,000 Yemeni civilians, many of whom are trying to escape perilous conditions by attempting to cross the Red Sea to reach Djibouti.
According to Saudi civil defense officials, a Yemeni man living in Saudi Arabia lost his life when debris from an intercepted Houthi drone fell in the city of Taif, while two others sustained injuries during the drone interception.
Several Muslim nations that condemned the Houthi drone strikes targeting Mecca earlier this week have also criticized the attacks on civilian sites in Taif. Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain have reiterated their calls for the U.N. Security Council to take measures against the Houthis. The Arab League has expressed strong condemnation of the attack in Taif as well.
The European Union (EU) declared its “full solidarity with Saudi Arabia” on Thursday and urged the Houthis to halt all military operations. They emphasized that targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure is entirely unacceptable, noting that such actions jeopardize the chances for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and threaten regional stability.
The Houthis countered by alleging that three children had been killed and several Yemeni civilians wounded due to strikes from what they referred to as “Saudi-backed mercenaries” in Yemen’s Taiz and Abs towns, a derogatory term for forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the Houthi leader, asserted that Saudi civilian energy facilities are legitimate military targets and indicated that attacks would persist as long as Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s government continue their military efforts in Yemen. He also claimed that they do not intentionally target civilians, denying involvement in the recent drone strikes on Mecca, labeling those claims as false.
During a televised address, al-Houthi demanded an end to the Saudi blockade and military actions against Yemen, stating, “This is our demand!” while sitting in front of a banner featuring their slogan: “Death to America, death to Israel, a curse upon the Jews, victory for Islam.”
The IOM reported on Friday that an estimated 112,000 civilians have been displaced within Yemen in the last two weeks, with another 3,000 managing to escape by boat to Djibouti. The Djibouti government is bracing for up to 10,000 refugees from Yemen, a figure that poses challenges for their healthcare and social services. Additionally, the semi-autonomous regions of Somaliland and Puntland in Somalia have reported a few hundred refugees arriving from Yemen.
