Houthis
India condemns Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia, warns of threat to Red Sea shipping
India has condemned the recent attack by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia and cautioned that strikes on civilian infrastructure and economic assets could threaten freedom of navigation.
"There was an attack on Saudi Arabia which we have condemned," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.
"We are deeply concerned also with the escalation in the situation that we see in the Red Sea region. We have condemned the attack on the Saudi sovereign territory, including on civilian infrastructure and economic assets," he said.
Jaiswal said the attacks undermine the regional stability and threaten freedom of navigation through the Bab-el-Mandeb.
Bab-el-Mandeb is one of the most crucial shipping routes in the world.
The latest escalation was caused by Iran-backed Houthi forces' attacks on Saudi Arabia, including on oil infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday issued a brief aerial threat alert in Mecca for the first time, along with warnings in Jeddah and Taif, as the kingdom faced a fresh wave of attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen.
The alerts were later lifted after authorities said the danger had passed.
Unprecedented alert in Holy city
Saudi Civil Defence issued short-lived aerial threat warnings across several areas along the kingdom's western coast, including Mecca, Jeddah and Taif.
The alert in Mecca marked an unprecedented development, with the holy city reportedly receiving an aerial threat warning for the first time.
The Directorate of Saudi Civil Defence later said the danger in Mecca had passed and urged residents to continue following safety instructions.
The latest alerts came a day after a Houthi assault involving ballistic missiles and drones wounded 13 people in Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis also claimed a large-scale attack using “dozens of ballistic missiles and drones” targeting King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, in southern Saudi Arabia.
The group has significantly intensified its attacks against Saudi targets in recent days.
Oil sites targeted, dozens reportedly wounded
The Houthis carried out what was described as their heaviest missile and drone assault on Saudi Arabia in years, with attacks reportedly setting oil facilities ablaze and leaving 73 people wounded.
On Monday, a Houthi strike in western Yemen also killed eight soldiers serving with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, according to two military sources.
Why are Houthis targeting Saudi Arabia?
The latest escalation follows the renewed fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen.
The conflict intensified in July after the Houthis declared a maritime blockade against Riyadh and began targeting shipping vessels in the Red Sea.
Houthi politburo member Hazem al-Assad said the group's attacks would continue and escalate as long as Saudi Arabia continued what the group described as aggression against Yemen.
Bab Al-Mandab Strait raises global concern
The escalating conflict has also raised fears over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a crucial maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
Qatar warned Tuesday of severe global consequences if the strategic waterway were closed.
Qatari Foreign Ministry official Ibrahim Al Hashmi described such a move as potentially “catastrophic for the entire world”.
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