Houthis Say Saudi Airstrikes Killed Children as Both Sides Trade Attacks

Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebels blamed each other for deadly attacks on Tuesday. The Houthi health ministry said Saudi airstrikes killed three people in Yemen's Taiz province, including two children. Saudi officials said the Houthis had struck three cities inside Saudi Arabia, injuring 13 people. The two sides have been at war for nearly a decade, and the fighting has grown much worse in recent weeks.

Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense sent emergency alerts to several cities overnight, including Jeddah, Yanbu, and Taif. On Tuesday afternoon, more alerts went out to Mecca, Jeddah, and Taif. Tuesday's alerts covered more of the country in a single day than any other time since the Yemen conflict got worse again. The Saudi government did not quickly respond to questions about the airstrikes in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia has led a group of countries fighting in Yemen since 2015. They are trying to bring back Yemen's internationally recognized government, which the Houthis pushed out when they took over the capital city, Sanaa. A ceasefire in 2022 mostly stopped the fighting for a while, but it has fallen apart over the past few weeks. Heavy ground battles have broken out again between Houthi fighters and forces that Saudi Arabia supports.

About 125,000 people in Yemen have been forced to leave their homes since September, according to the United Nations. The full picture of how much fighting is happening on the ground is still unclear. The situation has become a serious humanitarian crisis for many Yemeni families. Aid groups are working to help those who have been displaced.

In recent days, the Houthis have captured important areas along the Red Sea coast. These include the port city of Mokha and Perim Island, which sits at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. This is a major setback for Saudi Arabia, which ships most of its oil through the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia began using this route after a key waterway in the Persian Gulf, called the Strait of Hormuz, was blocked in the early days of its war with Iran.

The Houthis have announced a blockade on Saudi ships and have attacked vessels and oil facilities. Experts say capturing Perim Island could give the Houthis a powerful position to threaten ships passing through the area. The Houthis say they are only targeting Saudi Arabia and deny threatening other shipping. However, many countries that depend on Red Sea trade are watching closely.

On Friday, Saudi Arabia had to shut down its East-West oil pipeline after a drone attack. Officials said the drone came from Iraq. President Trump said Iran was 'probably' behind the attack, though Iran has not responded. No group has officially said it carried out the strike.

Saudi Arabia asked the United States to take military action against the Houthis, but President Trump said no, according to officials familiar with the talks. On Monday, Trump nominated Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas to be the U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Hunt is a retired Army captain who once served in Saudi Arabia as a diplomatic officer. The ambassador position had been empty since January 2025.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman traveled to Egypt on Tuesday to meet President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen ties and shared concerns. The day before, the crown prince had met with a top U.S. military commander in the Saudi city of Jeddah. They talked about the latest developments in the region.