Saudi-aligned forces advanced in al-Jawf for a third day as Houthi cross-border attacks triggered alerts in Saudi cities. Saudi officials reported 73 civilians wounded, while the Houthis alleged 54 Saudi air strikes across six Yemeni provinces in 12 hours. A Saudi warning carried by Pakistan to Tehran shows the widening regional pressure around the fighting.
Saudi-aligned forces advanced for a third day in the al-Jawf ground offensive. According to Al Jazeera's account, the Houthis alleged that Saudi forces carried out 54 air strikes across six Yemeni provinces in 12 hours on Wednesday; Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Aramco facilities and military bases were struck in response. The parties' military accounts were not independently verified.[1], [2]
Saudi officials said 73 civilians were wounded in Houthi attacks. The World Health Organization said more than 1,000 people had been killed or wounded since 24 August and tens of thousands displaced. Yemen's government and the Houthis also issued separate figures concerning child deaths, injuries and a strike on a prison in al-Jawf; none of those numbers was independently verified.[1]
A senior regional diplomat told Al-Monitor that Islamabad delivered a Saudi message to Tehran during the previous 24 hours, asking Iran to use its influence to halt Houthi attacks. An Iranian official confirmed receipt of the message while maintaining that Iran does not control the Houthis. Pakistan's defence minister, Khawaja Asif, said an arrangement signed last month by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye could be activated if the attacks continued.[2]
