Houthis escalate attacks in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.. UN warning of return to war
Houthi attacks expand: Shelling Mokha port and targeting Aramco in Najran
Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthi) group announced on Friday that it had carried out attacks with ballistic missiles and drones targeting sites in the Mokha area of Taiz province, and a facility belonging to Saudi Aramco in the city of Najran, in a new escalation coinciding with a UN warning of growing risks of a return to large-scale war in Yemen.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group targeted in the Mokha area “military positions and weapons belonging to the Saudi army and warships belonging to its allies,” using a large number of ballistic missiles, claiming to have achieved precise hits with casualties.
Saree added that the group will continue targeting Saudi military movements, according to his expression.
Shelling Mokha port
In a related development, Yemen’s Saba news agency reported that the Houthis targeted Mokha port in Taiz province with ballistic missiles.
The agency quoted a military source as saying that relevant authorities are working to determine the impact sites of the missiles and assess the resulting damage.
Mokha port director Abdulmalik al-Sharaabi said the missiles struck a pier where a dredger was working to deepen the navigation channel, noting that the shelling caused damage to the facility and its equipment.
Previous Houthi attacks on Mokha had resulted in casualties and damage to the city’s infrastructure, amid ongoing escalation in areas under the control of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
احتراق جلبتين تحملان بضائع تتبع تجاراً في المخا خلال القصف الحوثي على الميناء#قناة_الجمهورية#أخبار_اليمن pic.twitter.com/uQXHmeNvye
— قناة الجمهورية | Aljoumhouriya TV (@aljoumhouriyatv) August 14, 2026
Targeting an Aramco facility in Najran
In Saudi Arabia, the Houthis group announced through its Saba agency that it had targeted a facility belonging to Aramco in Najran with a drone, claiming the attack “successfully achieved its goal.”
No independent confirmation has yet been issued by Saudi authorities regarding damage to the facility from the announced attack.
The announcement comes after a previous attack for which the Houthis claimed responsibility, targeting an Aramco facility in Jazan, while Saudi Arabia reported extinguishing a fire at the refinery facility without recording injuries.
فيديو | السعودية
تداولت وسائل إعلام سعودية لحرائق كبيرة اندلعت في إحدى منشآت أرامكو النفطية بمنطقة نجران، جراء استهدافها بطائرة مسيرة من قبل الحـ..وثيين اليوم الجمعة. pic.twitter.com/bO17WDJGlm— النخبة الجنوبية – ELITE SOUTH (@elitesouth1) August 14, 2026
Escalation beyond front lines
The developments come amid an expanding scope of confrontations between the Houthis and forces loyal to the Yemeni government, coinciding with the group’s escalation of attacks against targets linked to Saudi Arabia and locations in Yemen’s western coastal areas.
The targeting of Mokha, near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and Saudi oil facilities raises concerns about the repercussions of the escalation on navigation and energy security in the region, as shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden experiences growing tension.
UN warning of return to war
Amid this escalation, UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg warned that the country faces the most serious threat of a return to large-scale war since the UN-brokered truce of 2022, with increased military activity along front lines.
The warning comes as indicators grow of the conflict expanding from internal front lines to ports and energy and navigation-related facilities, raising the risks of the Yemeni escalation spreading to a broader regional scope.
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