The Houthis in Yemen launched an attack on the Najran region in the south of Saudi Arabia. As a result of the attack, 11 civilians were injured. At the same time, Riyadh warned that the Houthis and armed groups in Iraq backed by Iran are preparing new coordinated attacks against the country's territory.
This was announced by the official representative of the Saudi-led military coalition, Major General Turki al-Maliki.
According to him, as a result of the strike on the Najran region, 7 Saudi citizens, 1 Yemeni, 2 Egyptians and 1 Pakistani citizen were injured. Among the injured was a 4-year-old child who suffered second-degree burns.
Turki al-Maliki accused the Houthis of targeting civilian objects in gross violation of international humanitarian law. He stressed that coalition forces will take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of civilians.
So far, neither the Houthis nor Iranian officials have commented on this statement.
It is reported that the US and Israeli military operations against Iran, which have been ongoing for five months, have further aggravated the security situation in the region. In this regard, intelligence services of Saudi Arabia, the United States and other Middle Eastern states have determined that the Houthis and armed groups in Iraq supported by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may launch coordinated attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure, ports and airports in the coming days.
Therefore, Riyadh has begun to strengthen cooperation on regional security. According to sources, today, August 7, an agreement on defense cooperation is expected to be signed between Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan.
One of Saudi Arabia's senior officials said the country supports a policy of resolving the confrontation with Iran through negotiations and de-escalation. In his view, possible attacks may be aimed at derailing the diplomatic process.
For reference, the Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on Najran airport on August 4. On August 5, they claimed that more than 30 Yemeni government troops were killed in attacks against Saudi-backed forces in the Marib and Hadramawt governorates.
Let us recall that on July 29, Saudi Arabia, in cooperation with the US Central Command, announced strikes on Iranian-backed armed formations in Iraq. This decision was made after drone attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure. These armed groups in Iraq, in turn, said they would respond to the strikes.
