Yemen's Government Strikes Taiz After Houthi Attacks on Saudi Airports

Yemen's internationally recognised government said its forces carried out airstrikes on Houthi positions and military equipment in southwestern Yemen on Oct. 13, 2026.

The government said nine strikes hit Taiz governorate on Tuesday, five in Dhubab district and four in al-Masrakh district. The Taiz Military Axis Media Center, linked to Yemen's Ministry of Defence, said fighting continues in al-Shaqab, south of Taiz city Al Jazeera.

The strikes followed Houthi missile attacks on King Khalid airport in Riyadh over the weekend. At least 14 people were killed. Qatar Airways and Emirates cancelled flights to Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries in response.

Saudi air defences intercepted a missile linked to a Houthi-claimed attack on the country's main air hub. That interception came after the Houthis claimed a new attack on Oct. 11.

An earlier round of attacks on Saudi airports killed three people. The Houthis also struck Aden airport in Yemen as a flight was due to land, according to the ministry. Yemeni government forces fought the Houthis with air support from the Saudi-led coalition Reuters.

On Yemen's Red Sea coast, the Houthis fought Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces while Saudi Arabia provided air cover Haaretz.

In September, Houthi forces seized territory along Yemen's western coast and the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a narrow waterway used for global shipping, including Mayyun Island. In early October, Yemeni government forces seized a district by the strait from the Houthis. Yemen's Saba News Agency reported that Yemeni Armed Forces liberated Dhubab District after clashes. A Yemeni military source told Saba the Dhubab operation was large-scale and supported by airstrikes on Houthi positions and movements Saba.

A separate Saba report in late September said Yemeni Army airstrikes hit Houthi weapons depots in Taiz, at Mawiyah Junction, around Al-Saleh City, and the Reception Camp of the Engineers Corps east of Taiz. The Houthi-run health ministry said two people were killed and seven wounded in strikes linked to fighting around Bab el-Mandeb.

The United Nations reported at least 46 civilians killed and more than 130 injured in Yemen since August. The UN migration agency IOM reported more than 200,000 people displaced in Yemen since September. In August, the United Nations reported at least 17 civilians killed in attacks by the Houthi group, formally known as Ansar Allah, in government-controlled areas. UN human rights chief Türk said he was alarmed by the rising civilian toll and urged restraint UN News.

The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedom said on Tuesday that the Houthis killed at least five civilians in Taiz in the previous 24 hours, including a five-year-old girl. The group alleged the Houthis fired more than 180 projectiles across Taiz in that period, injured 17 people, shelled residential neighbourhoods and damaged at least seven homes.

A Houthi official warned the United States would face a "swift, painful response" if it entered the war in Yemen AFP. The warning was published on Oct. 12.

The broader context here is a shift from containment to pressure on air and sea routes. Control around Mayyun Island and Dhubab means influence over traffic through Bab al-Mandeb, like a toll position on a busy highway. Strikes on international airports in Riyadh and Aden extend that pressure to civil aviation, changing risk and insurance calculations for airlines. Attacks on weapons depots around Taiz point to an effort to weaken sustained rocket and missile fire, not only to retake ground.

In my view, three variables will shape what comes next. The first is whether airstrikes can be sustained and accurately targeted. Nine strikes in two districts look like concentrated support for ground troops and attacks on supply lines, not a theatre-wide air campaign. The second is how many long-range missiles the Houthis can keep firing toward Saudi Arabia. Repeated claims around King Khalid airport show intent to keep Saudi hubs at risk despite interceptions. The third is displacement. More than 200,000 displaced since September limits aid access around Taiz and the coast and makes a ground advance toward the strait harder. Diplomacy has limited room. Civilian casualty reports raise the political cost of bombing for both sides. Flight disruptions give Gulf states reason to seek calm, and reason to show their air defences work. Any direct U.S. military role would change force balances and escalation control, which helps explain the preemptive Houthi warning.