More than 10 civilians injured in Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia's Najran region

More than 10 civilians were injured in Saudi Arabia's southern Najran region after a series of attacks attributed to Yemen's Houthi rebels, according to the Saudi military. Among those hurt was a 4-year-old child, the military said, in an incident that took place near the border with Yemen. The attacks were reported on Thursday and are part of a wider exchange across the frontier.

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The Saudi account said the strikes hit Najran, a region that has repeatedly been exposed to spillover from the conflict in Yemen because of its proximity to the border. The same reporting said the attacks came hours after the Houthis claimed responsibility for strikes in central and eastern Yemen. In those claimed attacks, the group said it had targeted Saudi-backed troops, while Yemeni officials said camps for forces loyal to the internationally recognised government were hit.

According to the Yemeni officials, the strikes in the provinces of Marib and Hadramout killed at least 30 government troops and wounded at least 50 others. A Houthi leader said "hundreds" were either killed or injured, although that claim could not be independently verified in the supplied material. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

The reported injuries in Najran underline how the conflict in Yemen continues to affect areas beyond the country's borders. Saudi Arabia has long viewed cross-border attacks from Yemen as a security threat, particularly in its southern provinces. The latest incident also comes against the backdrop of continuing military and political tensions involving the Houthis, the internationally recognised government in Yemen, and regional states linked to the conflict.

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Najran has been one of the Saudi regions most exposed to the Yemen war because of its location close to the frontier. The supplied material does not say what weapons were used in the attacks, whether any military sites in Saudi Arabia were targeted, or whether there was damage beyond the civilian injuries. It also does not provide an independent assessment of the casualty figures reported from Yemen.

What remains unclear is whether the attacks will prompt any immediate response from Saudi Arabia or other parties involved in the conflict. It is also not known whether the casualty figures from the Yemeni strikes will be revised as more information emerges. The situation will be watched for any further claims of responsibility, official statements from Riyadh, or signs of escalation along the border.

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