Saudi-led coalition conducts precise strikes on Houthi military sites in Sanaa and Saada in response to recent drone attacks on Saudi territory.
Described as defensive action to counter threats to civilian infrastructure; targets included weapon storage, command centres and drone launch pads.
Group reports civilian casualties, vows retaliation; incident risks straining the fragile UN-brokered truce.
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government announced it carried out a series of “limited and precise” airstrikes overnight against Houthi military positions in northern Yemen, targeting weapon storage sites, command centres and drone launch facilities in Sanaa and Saada governorates.
In a brief statement issued by the coalition’s spokesperson Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki, the operation was described as a “defensive response” to repeated Houthi attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, including a fresh drone incursion towards Abha airport on January 5 that was intercepted by coalition air defences. The strikes, which began around 2 a.m. local time, were said to have avoided populated areas and focused solely on military targets.
Houthi-run Al-Masirah television reported that at least six airstrikes hit positions in the capital Sanaa and the Houthi stronghold of Saada, with initial claims of five civilians killed and 12 wounded. The group’s military spokesman Yahya Saree vowed “strong and deterring responses” and accused the coalition of “escalating the aggression” under U.S. cover. Independent verification of casualties remains difficult due to restricted access.
The limited strikes come amid a fragile, UN-mediated truce that has largely held since late 2022 but has been repeatedly tested by cross-border incidents. Analysts note that the coalition now primarily Saudi Arabia and the UAE with reduced ground involvement has shifted to a strategy of calibrated retaliation rather than the large-scale campaigns of 2015–2019. The operation also follows heightened regional tensions after Iran-backed Houthis resumed attacks on Red Sea shipping in support of Gaza.
