An attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels wounded 11 civilians in southern Saudi Arabia on Thursday, as the kingdom warned that coordinated attacks by the Houthis and Iran-backed Iraqi militias could be imminent.
Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said the shelling in Najran Province injured seven Saudis, one Yemeni, two Egyptians and one Pakistani.
The victims included a four-year-old child who suffered second-degree burns.
Maliki accused the Iran-aligned Houthis of indiscriminately targeting civilian areas in violation of international humanitarian law and said the coalition would continue taking all necessary measures to protect civilians.
There was no immediate response from the Houthis or Iran to the coalition’s statement, as the five-month-old US-Israeli war with Iran continues to shape Saudi Arabia’s security calculations.
Riyadh’s decade-long conflict with the Tehran-backed Houthis has become increasingly linked to the wider regional war. Houthi actions, including a Red Sea blockade that has disrupted Saudi oil exports, have raised concerns about a broader confrontation.
A senior Saudi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said intelligence from Saudi Arabia, the US and other Middle Eastern countries indicated that the Houthis and Iran-backed Iraqi militias, under the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, could soon launch coordinated attacks on Saudi civilian targets, including energy infrastructure, ports and airports.
Saudi Arabia is seeking closer security cooperation with key allies while warning of an expanding threat from Iran-backed groups.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were expected to sign a defence agreement in the kingdom on Friday, two regional sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Details of the agreement were not immediately available.
Saudi Arabia already has a defence cooperation agreement with Pakistan. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in the kingdom on Thursday, while Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was expected on Friday.
The Saudi official said the reported threats were particularly concerning as Riyadh continued to support de-escalation and a negotiated settlement with Iran, adding that mediation efforts appeared to be moving “in the right direction.”
The official said the planned attacks could be intended to derail diplomatic efforts.
The official also said Saudi-US cooperation remained “very high” at all levels, including operational coordination with US Central Command, and that the kingdom was prepared to take all necessary measures to respond to any “aggression”.
The Houthis claimed responsibility on Tuesday for an attack on Najran airport as part of a broader campaign targeting Saudi military positions, infrastructure and shipping.
The group also said it killed more than 30 Yemeni government troops on Thursday after attacking what it described as Saudi military deployments in the Yemeni provinces of Marib and Hadramout.
On July 29, Saudi Arabia said it carried out strikes with US Central Command against Iran-backed groups in Iraq after blaming them for drone attacks on its oil facilities. Iraqi militias later said they would respond to the Saudi strikes.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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