Fighting escalates in Yemen; Houthi attacks trigger alerts in Saudi Arabia

Yemen’s government accuses Houthis of killing three children as rebels claim Saudi forces carried out 54 air raids in 12 hours.Fighting has escalated across Yemen, with the country’s internationally recognised government claiming the Houthis killed three children in an artillery attack, while Saudi Arabia accused the Iran-backed group of continuing to target the kingdom’s infrastructure.The claims came as warnings of impending attacks sounded in several Saudi provinces early on Thursday, with the Houthis promising to respond after accusing Riyadh of launching 54 air strikes over 12 hours.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Yemen envoy warns of wider war as Houthis threaten Bab al-Mandeb Straitlist 2 of 4Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia could activate defence pact, Pakistan sayslist 3 of 4Back to work, not school: Yemen’s crisis forces children to drop outlist 4 of 4Yemen war escalates: Who are the key actors involved?end of listThe renewed hostilities between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government forces are unfolding amid intensifying regional tensions set off by the United States and Israel’s war on Iran. Pakistan warned on Tuesday that continued Houthi attacks could trigger the recently signed Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a mutual security pact involving Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan.Iran, meanwhile, has rejected criticism from the Arab League that it is interfering in Yemen, insisting that the Houthis act independently.According to the World Health Organization, the clashes have killed or wounded more than 1,000 people since August 24 and displaced tens of thousands.On Wednesday, the government-run Saba news reported that at least three children, including a baby, were killed in Houthi shelling in the central Marib governorate. Six others were also wounded in the attack, which Saba said was the second of its kind in 48 hours.The first assault killed two children and wounded 15 others, it said.The Houthis, for their part, said the death toll from an attack on a prison in the northern al-Jawf governorate had climbed to at least 32 people. Some seven others were wounded in the attack on Tuesday, they said.War in YemenYemen has been mired in conflict since 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa. The attack prompted a Saudi-led military intervention the following year and a devastating conflict that killed an estimated 150,000 people.