Yemen fighting escalates amid Saudi strikes, tanker attacks

Yemen fighting escalates amid Saudi strikes, tanker attacks
2026-10-17T08:56:51+00:00

Shafaq News- Sanaa

Saudi airstrikes and artillery fire hit several areas of northern Yemen on Saturday, according to Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV, while Yemen’s internationally recognized government reported heavy Houthi casualties in fighting across Taiz and Marib.

Al-Masirah reported six Saudi airstrikes on Sahar district in Saada province, two east of Saada city, and one each on Maran district and Bani Muayyan in the border district of Razih. Saudi artillery also shelled populated villages in Razih and residential areas in neighboring Shada district, while missiles targeted eastern Saada city and Sahar.

Saudi-led Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki announced the destruction of two ballistic missile launchers in Saada province.

The Houthi-run Health Ministry in Sanaa recorded 114 people killed and 305 wounded in Saudi attacks since Sept. 3, most of them women and children.

On Friday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree accused Saudi forces of launching 101 air and missile strikes within 24 hours across Sanaa, Al-Dhale, Taiz, Al-Hudaydah, Dhamar, Marib, Saada, Al-Jawf, Amran, and Lahj.

Saudi F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets operating from Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases had bombed civilian facilities, while missiles fired from Najran caused further casualties, including women and children, Saree said, putting the total number of Saudi air and missile strikes since the latest escalation began at 2,489.

Government Operations And Casualties

In southwestern Yemen, government forces reported killing 168 Houthi fighters and wounding 210 others in clashes and airstrikes across Al-Misrakh, Al-Shaqab, and western Taiz, according to the government-run Saba News Agency, citing the Taiz Military Command.

The command also documented nine airstrikes on Houthi positions and troop concentrations in those areas and around Taiz city.

Government military spokesperson Colonel Majed Al-Nuzaili reported 1,292 strikes on Houthi positions over the preceding 24 hours, targeting fortifications, trenches, firing positions, troop concentrations, and supply routes. The operations had left more than 430 Houthi fighters killed or wounded and destroyed or disabled over 100 military vehicles and other assets, Al-Nuzaili claimed, without clarifying how many fighters were killed.

He also said that government troops had seized several positions on Marib’s eastern front, with fighting continuing in the south and west.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government also accused the Houthis of targeting the area around Aden International Airport, near Badr military camp, on Friday.

Tankers Attacked Near Saudi Coast

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported two attacks on tankers northeast of Al-Jubayl, Saudi Arabia, with an unidentified projectile striking one vessel 68 nautical miles from the city and prompting the safe evacuation of its crew, while a small boat fired a rocket-propelled grenade at another tanker 78 nautical miles away, damaging its aft port quarter without causing injuries.

UKMTO indicated that the full extent of the damage and any potential environmental impact remained unclear. Neither attack was attributed to a specific group.

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