Sanaa, Aug 2026: Yemen’s Houthi group reportedly launched three ballistic missiles at the government-held city of Marib, further escalating tensions in the war-torn country and raising concerns over a renewed expansion of hostilities between the Iran-aligned group, Yemeni government forces and neighbouring Saudi Arabia.
The reported attack took place on Saturday evening, with pro-government media saying the missiles were fired towards residential areas of Marib, the capital of the oil-rich Marib province. State-run Saba TV, which is based in the city, reported the missile launches but said there was no immediate information about casualties or the extent of damage.
Residents contacted by Xinhua said they heard several powerful explosions across Marib around the time of the reported strikes. The Houthis have not immediately commented on the allegations.
The latest incident comes amid an increase in Houthi missile and drone activity against government-controlled areas of Yemen and targets in Saudi Arabia, a key supporter of the internationally recognised Yemeni government.
The Houthis announced a maritime ban on Saudi shipping on July 20 and have since claimed responsibility for attacks targeting Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea as well as energy-related facilities inside Saudi territory.
The developments have raised fears that the relative calm that had prevailed across much of Yemen could be threatened by a fresh escalation.
Yemen has been locked in a devastating conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized large parts of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. In response, a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government.
A United Nations-brokered truce that began in April 2022 formally expired six months later without an extension. However, despite the absence of a formal agreement, a fragile de facto ceasefire largely held for an extended period, reducing the intensity of fighting across the country.
Tensions have recently increased along Yemen’s northern border with Saudi Arabia. Earlier on Saturday, the Houthis accused Saudi forces of carrying out artillery and missile attacks against areas in Yemen’s Saada province.
Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV reported that Saudi artillery fire struck the Al-Dhaher district, a Houthi stronghold close to the Saudi border. The channel also reported heavy missile fire in the Bani Sayyah area of Razih border district, claiming that farmland belonging to local residents was damaged.
No casualties were immediately reported from those alleged strikes, while Saudi authorities did not issue an immediate response.
The reported shelling came a day after the Houthis claimed to have launched a drone attack against a facility belonging to Saudi state oil giant Aramco in the southern region of Najran.
The Houthis said the alleged attack was carried out in retaliation for what they described as an incursion by Saudi warplanes into Saada’s airspace.
With missile, drone and cross-border attacks reportedly increasing, the latest developments have heightened uncertainty over Yemen’s fragile security situation and the prospects for maintaining the relative calm achieved since 2022.
(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
