Sanaa, September 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Yemen’s Houthi group has claimed that Saudi warplanes carried out 26 airstrikes on the southwestern province of Taiz in the past 24 hours, taking the reported number of Saudi strikes across Yemen this week to 300.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement posted on X on Friday that Saudi F-15 fighter jets carried out the 26 strikes on Taiz after taking off from Khamis Mushait Air Base in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Sarea claimed that the 300 strikes reported across nine Yemeni provinces during the week involved F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets operating from Khamis Mushait and King Fahd air bases in Saudi Arabia.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities on the Houthi claims.
The reported airstrikes came amid continued ground fighting on several fronts. Heavy clashes were reported on Friday around the Kahbub mountain range in Lahj province in southern Yemen, near the strategically important Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Fighting also continued in parts of southwestern Taiz and in the oil-rich Marib province farther northeast.
The latest escalation follows reported advances by Houthi forces along Yemen’s southwestern Red Sea coast earlier this month.
Yemen’s conflict began in late 2014 when the Houthis seized control of Sanaa and large parts of northern Yemen. Saudi Arabia subsequently led a coalition that intervened in March 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
Meanwhile, explosions were heard in the Saudi capital Riyadh early Saturday, with residents receiving air-defence alerts through mobile applications.
Saudi Arabia’s Directorate of Civil Defence later said in a statement on X that the danger had passed in Riyadh and Al-Kharj. It urged residents to continue following official instructions and avoid gathering or filming.
Earlier, the authorities had issued an alert through the National Early Warning Platform warning of danger in Al-Kharj Governorate.
The latest developments come amid heightened military activity linked to Yemen’s prolonged conflict and the wider security situation around the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab region.
FOLLOW NOW
