Houthis Claim Attack on Saudi Vessel

UN rights chief urges restraint as fighting threatens to push Yemen back into full-scale war

TDT | Manama

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Yemen's Houthi rebels said Monday they had targeted a Saudi military vessel and four accompanying patrol boats in the Red Sea, as part of what they described as a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had targeted a Saudi military landing ship accompanied by four patrol boats off the coast of Mokha.

According to Saree, the attack involved several ballistic missiles. The claim has not been independently verified.

The Houthis have been in conflict with Saudi Arabia since Riyadh intervened in Yemen's civil war in 2015. A ceasefire had largely held since 2022, but tensions have escalated as Yemen has become increasingly drawn into the wider Middle East conflict.

Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed concern over the growing civilian toll from the renewed hostilities.

Turk called on all sides to de-escalate and warned against actions that could return Yemen to full-scale conflict.

He said the Yemeni population had already endured years of conflict, displacement and humanitarian suffering.

Yemen's civil war began in 2014 and has contributed to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, leaving millions of people in need of assistance.