Saudi warplanes carried out 52 airstrikes across Yemen over the past 24 hours, deploying F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets from the Khamis Mushait and Taif air bases, Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said Tuesday.
Saree said the strikes targeted civilian infrastructure, including schools, bridges and roads in Taiz Governorate, as well as other civilian sites in al-Jawf, al-Bayda, Saada and Amran governorates.
“These brutal attacks will not go unanswered, God willing,” Saree said, warning that Yemeni forces would respond to the latest escalation.
The strikes came as Saudi Arabia intensified its bombing campaign against Yemen, with Yemeni authorities accusing Riyadh of repeatedly targeting civilian areas and critical infrastructure.
In response, the Yemeni Armed Forces have stepped up operations against Saudi-backed forces on several fronts, including al-Jawf and the western coast along the Red Sea. Yemeni forces say they have captured hundreds of Saudi-backed fighters and seized military vehicles and equipment in recent operations.
The Yemeni Armed Forces have also reiterated that they will continue targeting sites inside Saudi Arabia as long as Saudi attacks on Yemen continue.
Yemeni forces have pledged to maintain what they describe as a “blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation” policy, including strikes against Saudi military concentrations and other strategic targets. They say these measures will remain in place until the attacks on Yemen end and the blockade is lifted.
The latest escalation comes amid growing pressure on Saudi Arabia, which has faced attacks from the east, south and north over the past two weeks.
On Friday, the Yemeni Armed Forces said they had seized territory along a strategically important global shipping route and defeated Saudi-allied forces in Yemen. The development came after Yemeni forces announced a blockade on Saudi oil shipments through the Red Sea, describing the move as a reciprocal response to the continued attacks on Yemen.
The same day, Saudi authorities announced that they had been forced to shut down a critical oil pipeline after what they described as a drone attack by an Iraqi Resistance faction. The group categorically denied involvement in the attack.
The pipeline had become an important alternative route for transporting Saudi oil to the Red Sea amid growing regional tensions and disruptions affecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The escalating confrontation has widened the regional dimensions of the Yemen conflict, with Yemeni forces increasingly using their military capabilities and strategic positions to pressure Saudi Arabia to halt its attacks.
Yemeni authorities maintain that their military operations are a direct response to the continued Saudi campaign against the country. They have vowed to sustain the pressure until the attacks cease and the blockade on Yemen is lifted. (ILKHA)