The Houthi–Saudi conflict is an ongoing armed conflict involving the Armed Forces of Saudi Arabia and Houthi forces in Yemen and along the Saudi–Yemeni border, including parts of Asir, Jazan, and Najran in Saudi Arabia and Saada, Al-Jawf, and Hajjah in Yemen. The conflict began following the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen in 2015.
Background During their 2004 conflict with the government of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of pressuring Saleh to take action against their community and of providing him with financial support. This accusation was denied by Saleh, and was not acknowledged by Saudi Arabia.Yahya al-Houthi, early in July 2008 indicated Saudi Arabia pressured on Saleh to fight Zaydis and Shia Yemeni tribes.
Houthi forces and Yemeni Army units aligned with the Houthis deployed teams equipped with anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) to target military vehicles and positions.. BM-21s and BM-27s would then target military bases and lay landmines along routes connecting with the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border. Meanwhile, pro-Houthi special forces would assault the border outposts, while motorcycle mounted teams armed with RPG-7s and US-made M47 Dragons infiltrated the Saudi rear. Columns of Saudi Arabian Army (RSLF) forces drive into unknown minefields and ambush places not directly hit by the fighting. Some raiding parties deployed into Saudi Arabia were armed with portable air defense systems (MANPADS), as well as M167 Vulcan towed anti-aircraft cannons. In the first year of the war, they damaged numerous attack helicopters of the RSLF and the Royal Saudi Navy (RSNF), forcing their crews to keep their distance.
Conflict
2015 As a result of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen, the Houthis shelled the Saudi city of Najran on 5 May 2015. Saudi authorities temporarily closed local schools, and the Najran Regional Airport.
2016 Saudi Arabia stated on 25 July 2016 that clashes resulted in the deaths of five Saudi border guards.
Regular clashes resumed on 11 August, after a one-year ceasefire between the Saudis and Houthis at the Saudi–Yemeni border expired. The Houthis gained entrance into Najran city. On 16 August, Houthi shelling killed seven civilians in an industrial zone in Najran. On the 26th, a power station near the border was hit by a Houthi rocket. A 3-year-old boy was killed by subsequent debris, and his 9-year-old brother was injured. On the 28th, Saudi officials stated that a rocket fired from Yemen hit a family's home in Saudi Arabia, killing two children and wounding five others.
On 12 September, Saudi Arabia stated that a Houthi mortar killed three Saudi soldiers and wounded two in Najran Province, and also that there had been over five hundred Houthi casualties since the start of the conflict in the province. On 24 September, Houthi Major-General Hassan Almalsi was killed while his squad was attempting to infiltrate into Najran Province.
On 12 October, Salafist fighters, including Salafist leader Bassam al-Mehbar, took control of al-Buqa' border crossing in Yemen's Saada Governorate, with the help of Saudi air support. On the 13th, a Saudi spy drone was shot down by Houthis over Al-Qawiya military base in Jizan. On the same day, a Saudi military vehicle came under fire from Houthis, and a Saudi soldier was killed by Houthi snipers in the Al-Rabiah area of Jizan.
On 1 November, the Houthis claimed to have shot down a drone flying over the Ailab area in Asir Province with an anti-aircraft missile. This was the fourth time in two months that the Houthis had shot down a Saudi aircraft.
On 15 November, Saudi Arabia claimed the RSADF intercepted a missile targeting Najran. On the 19th, Saudi Arabia claimed a Saudi soldier was killed by a missile fired by the Houthis across the border into Asir Province. On the 22nd, according to a Civil Defense Directorate spokesman, one Yemeni citizen was killed and seven other expatriates were injured when projectiles fired from Yemen hit a shopping center in Najran.
On 8 December, a Saudi border guard was killed by a landmine near Jazan Province's Yemeni border. On 21 December, 25 Houthis were killed by a coalition airstrike in Najran Province. On the 22nd, Saudi forces carried out a night-time military operation in Jazan and Najran Provinces, killing thirty Houthis.
2017
Saudi Arabia stated that at a border guards' post in Najran Province on 14 January 2017, a Saudi corporal was killed as a result of shelling and other intensive fire.
On 13 February, Saudi state media claimed at least seven Saudi soldiers had been killed in the past week while fighting the Houthis. On 24 February, a Jordanian F-16 warplane crashed in Najran Province, reportedly due to a technical error. The pilot survived.
On 23 March, Houthi media claimed several Saudi soldiers were killed by Houthi missiles. According to Yemeni state media, the struck military sites were in Najran, Jazan, and Asir Provinces. However, Saudi Arabia announced the death of just one soldier on a border post in south Dhahran.
On 16 April, Saudi Arabia claimed one Saudi border guard was killed and three others injured in a mine explosion in Jazan Province. On 27 April, Saudi Interior Ministry stated that two soldiers were killed in Al-Rdhaa Sector, Jazan Province, as a result of land mine explosion and projectiles from Yemen.
On 11 May, Houthis captured a Saudi military base in Raboah, Asir Province, killing and wounding several Saudi soldiers. On 28 May, three Saudi personnel were ambushed by Houthis fighters, including a high-ranking officer at Asir.
On 5 November, the Houthi missile was launched the Saudi capital of Riyadh, which garnered worldwide media attention. According to a Houthi spokesperson, the missile hit its target, King Khalid International Airport, while Saudi Arabia claimed that it intercepted the missile before it got there.
2018 On 11 and 12 January 2018, the Houthis fired missiles at Najran; Saudi Arabia claimed to have intercepted them.
On 11 and 14 February, Houthi fighters fought the Saudi Armed Forces near Najran city. The Houthis were repelled, with Saudi Arabia claiming to have killed more than twenty of them.
On 26 March, Houthis fired seven missiles towards the Saudi capital of Riyadh, all of which were intercepted by Saudi systems. One person was killed, and two were wounded.
2019 On 14 May 2019, a Houthi attack drone struck the Saudi East–West Crude Oil Pipeline. This temporarily shut down the pipeline, and it was reopened later.
On 23 June, the Houthis carried out a drone attack on Abha International Airport, killing one person and wounding 21.
On 17 August, the Houthis attacked an oil and gas field in Shaybah, Saudi Arabia.
On 14 September, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the Abqaiq and Khurais drone attacks, which caused massive damage to Saudi oil facilities. On 28 September, a Houthi official stated that three Saudi-led brigades, alongside KSA forces, were besieged and defeated in a 72-hour battle south of Najran. The Houthis claimed the brigades were preparing for a major attack against the Houthis in retaliation to the attack on Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities, but were entrapped by the Houthis. The Saudis then allegedly conducted airstrikes targeting the Saudi captives but the spokesman assured the families of the captives that they were able to hide and protect them from the Saudi airstrikes. Catherine Shakdam from the Next Century Foundation said that there is no reason to doubt the Houthi statement, yet the Houthis' claims could not be corroborated. Saudi Arabia neither confirmed nor denied the attack."Yemen: Houthis claim capture of thousands of troops in Saudi raid" , Al Jazeera, 28 October 2019.
2020 On 23 June 2020, the Houthis launched a drone and missile attack targeting the King Khalid Airport and the Saudi Defense Ministry headquarters in Riyadh.On 10 September, the Houthis claimed that they attacked an "important target" in Riyadh using a missile and drones. On 23 November, a Houthi missile attacked an oil tank at Oil Co. facility in Jeddah, causing a fire. On 25 November, Saudi-led coalition claimed to have destroyed a suicide boat that damaged a nearby ship.
On 9 December, the coalition intercepted a Houthi attack drone launched towards Saudi Arabia.
2021 On 15 January 2021, the coalition intercepted three Houthi attack drones launched from Al Hudaydah. On the 23rd, the coalition intercepted a missile, allegedly launched by the Houthis, over Riyadh.
On 15 February, the Houthis stated that their drones had struck Abha Airport and King Abdulaziz Airport, and that this briefly halted operations at the airports. The coalition said it intercepted Houthi drones launched towards Saudi Arabia, but did not confirm the attacks. On 27 February, Saudi Arabia intercept a missile and drones over Riyadh, likely launched by Houthis.
On 5 March, the coalition intercepted six Houthi drones targeting the city of Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia. On 7 March, a drone strike had been intercepted that targeted an oil storage yard at Ras Tanura. On the 19th, another drone strike hit Riyadh's oil refinery, which caused a fire that was soon put out. The Houthis stated that they launched six drones at a Saudi Aramco facility. On the 21st, the RSADF intercepted Houthi attack drones over Khamis Mushait. The RSAF launched retaliatory air strikes against Houthis in the city of Sanaa, hitting Sanaa International Airport. Houthi military camps and military manufacturing sites outside Sanaa were also hit. On the 23rd, the RSAF launched air strikes on Houthi military targets in Sanaa city and the port of Salif on the Red Sea coast. On the 26th, Houthi forces launched rocket and drone attacks across Saudi Arabia, causing fires at an Aramco distribution facility in Jizan. No casualties were reported. The RSADF intercepted eight Houthi attack drones at launched Khamis Mushait, Najran city, and Jizan. Later that day, Saudi Arabia intercepted a missile over Najran. On the 28th, the coalition intercepted three Houthi attack drones over Khamis Mushait, and two explosive-laden boats launched from the Red Sea port of Hodeidah.
On 2 April, the coalition intercepted two Houthi attack drones fired toward Khamis Mushait. On 3 April, the coalition destroyed a Houthi attack boat in Salif. On the 12th, the coalition stated that it intercepted six Houthi drones and one Houthi missile over Jizan. On the 15th, the RSADF intercepted five Houthi missiles and four Houthi drones over Jizan; this scattered debris on Jazan University's campus, which caused a fire. No casualties were reported. On the 25th, the coalition intercepted a Houthi attack drone launched towards southern Saudi Arabia.
On 2 May, the RSADF intercepted a Houthi attack drone launched towards Saudi Arabia. On 3 May, the RSADF intercepted multiple Houthi attack drones and one Houthi missile launched towards Najran city. On the 13th, Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed eight attack drones and three missiles targeting Saudi Arabia. On the 26th, Saudi Arabia stated that several Houthi missiles landed in Jazan Province. No casualties were reported. On the 28th, the coalition stated that they intercepted a Houthi attack drone targeting southern Saudi Arabia.