Conflict & Security
Houthi attack wounds 11 civilians in Saudi, coalition says
Yemen's Houthi rebels wounded 11 civilians in Saudi Arabia's southern Najran region late Thursday, the Riyadh-led coalition said.
Coalition spokesman General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement carried by the official Saudi news agency that the wounded included seven Saudis, two Egyptians, a Yemeni and a Pakistani. He said the Saudi casualties included a four-year-old who sustained second-degree burns and a woman.
AFP reported that the toll was the highest in Saudi Arabia from a Houthi attack in years.
Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen's internationally recognised government against the Houthis since 2015.
The Najran attack followed Houthi missile and drone strikes earlier Thursday on Yemeni government military positions in central and eastern Yemen. A military source said those strikes killed at least 58 government troops.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the strikes targeted government forces in response to what he described as a Saudi-backed military buildup. Yemen's defence ministry said it would respond "at the appropriate place and time".
The Houthis control Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen. They have abandoned a 2022 truce with the Saudi-backed government that had largely held despite expiring, announcing a maritime blockade of Saudi ports. The rebels have since been hitting Saudi ships and have intensified attacks on Yemeni government forces.
Yemen has been increasingly drawn into a regional confrontation centred on Iran. The country's war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and caused a major humanitarian crisis.
Update
The coalition said the seven wounded Saudis included a four-year-old with second-degree burns and a woman.
The attack was described as taking place late Thursday in Saudi Arabia's Najran region on the border with Yemen.
The item adds that the Houthis have announced a maritime blockade of Saudi ports and have intensified attacks on Yemeni government forces and Saudi ships.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 August 2026 at 08:10:29 UTC.
Update
AFP reported the 11 wounded civilians were the highest toll in Saudi Arabia in more than four years of the conflict.
The item links the Najran attack to a recent escalation by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia and Yemen's internationally recognised government.
A military source said Houthi missile and drone attacks earlier Thursday killed at least 58 Yemeni government troops in central and eastern Yemen.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said those strikes responded to what he described as a Saudi-backed military buildup.
Yemen's defence ministry said it would respond at an appropriate place and time.
The item adds context on the Houthis' control of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, the 2022 truce and the later announced maritime blockade of Saudi ports.
Source note: AFP news report published on 7 August 2026 at 00:47:39 UTC.
Update
The coalition said the attack happened late Thursday in the Najran region of southern Saudi Arabia, on the border with Yemen.
Coalition spokesman General Turki al-Maliki said the wounded included seven Saudis, two Egyptians, a Yemeni and a Pakistani.
Source note: AFP news report published on 6 August 2026 at 22:36:11 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The casualty figures for the Najran attack are attributed to the Riyadh-led coalition.
The toll of at least 58 Yemeni government troops killed earlier Thursday is attributed to a military source.
Source
AFP news report published on .