Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced two new strikes on Saudi Arabia on Thursday as Iran warns the kingdom it cannot defeat the group. 

What happened: Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said they carried out a drone attack against a “sensitive Saudi enemy target” at the Najran Airport and another against unspecified Aramco facilities. Saree said the attack was in response to Saudi forces allegedly flying drones over Saada province, the Houthi-controlled news agency Saba reported. 

Najran is located in southwest Saudi Arabia and borders Saada province in northwest Yemen. 

Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the attack. 

Earlier on Thursday, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi told the semiofficial Mehr News Agency that Saudi Arabia will be unable to defeat the Houthis. 

“How can Saudi Arabia, whose military capability is less than that of the Zionist regime, be able to cope with Ansar Allah and the Yemeni fighters? This is not possible,” he said, using the official name for the Houthis. 

A Saudi-led coalition backs the internationally recognized Yemeni government against the Iran-backed Houthis in the Yemeni civil war. 

Why it matters: The Houthis resumed regular cross-border strikes on Saudi Arabia and Saudi vessels in the Red Sea after a strike on the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport. That strike, which the Houthis blamed on Saudi Arabia, was reportedly aimed at deterring an Iranian plane from landing. The Houthis, whose territory borders the Red Sea, also announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia in response. 

The Houthis have carried out several strikes on Saudi Arabia this month, largely focusing on the southwest of the kingdom, including a drone attack on an Aramco refinery in Jizan on Tuesday. 

United Nations special envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg warned the Security Council last week that Yemen faces a “more serious risk of return to large-scale conflict than at any point since the 2022 UN-mediated truce." The UN-mediated 2022 truce ushered in a period of relative calm in Yemen until the Sanaa airport strike. 

The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of striking the port city of Hodeidah in late July, though the kingdom has otherwise refrained from major military action since the escalation began. Saudi Arabia launched a coalition for Red Sea security earlier this month. 

Iran has been accused of increasing support for the Houthis amid the war in the region, and Reuters reported late last month that the IRGC flew missile parts and commanders to Yemen. 

Traffic in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, may be on the rebound despite the Houthi blockade. The shipping data firm Kpler said 46 vessels crossed the strait on Tuesday, up 53% from the day prior. Around 50 ships typically crossed before the recent escalation. 

Saudi Arabia has been rerouting oil exports through the Red Sea in response to the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. 

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