The confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis continues to escalate. A military source in Sanaa linked to the Houthis told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, today (Monday) that the group is considering expanding its target bank to include major bridges inside Saudi territory, including bridges in Riyadh, in response to strikes that the Saudi Air Force allegedly carried out against civilian infrastructure in Yemen.
According to the source, “adding the kingdom’s vital bridges to the target bank is a legitimate response” to the Saudi strikes. The source also claimed that accusations that bridges in Yemen are being used to launch missiles are false, calling them “a major bankruptcy,” while emphasizing that these are civilian infrastructure.
The threats come after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of striking a commercial market and hitting infrastructure in the Taiz and Al-Jawf provinces. The group’s spokesman, Yahya Saree, claimed that dozens of people were killed and wounded in the strikes, and warned that these moves will have “severe consequences for the Saudi criminal.”
From the other side, the spokesman for the Saudi-backed military forces, Majed Abdullah Al-Nazili, said that over the past 72 hours, the forces carried out 756 strikes against Houthi targets in northwestern and southwestern Yemen. According to him, one of the strikes in Taiz province killed four Iranian experts who were allegedly operating drones and missiles.
Parallel to the escalation on the ground, security contacts continue among Riyadh’s allies. Over the weekend, the chiefs of staff of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey met in Riyadh as part of the trilateral defense alliance. The three discussed the security situation in the region, ways to deepen military cooperation, and strengthening their commitment to joint defense against growing threats.