Nine Reported Killed in Saudi Strike on Houthi-Held Yemen as Both Sides Trade Fire

Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi movement exchanged strikes over the weekend in one of the most intense rounds of fighting since a four-year ceasefire between the two sides began to fray, The Times of Israel reported. Saudi airstrikes on Yemen's Saada province reportedly killed at least nine people, including five children and two women, according to the Houthi-run health ministry, after a residence in the Sahar district was hit and 19 others were wounded, some critically.

In response, a Houthi projectile struck Saudi Arabia's Najran region near the Yemeni border, injuring at least six people and damaging three homes and three vehicles, according to Saudi civil defense officials. Separately, Saudi authorities said a military helicopter crashed near Najran due to a technical malfunction, killing its two-member crew, though the Houthis claimed they shot the aircraft down.

The exchange comes amid a broader unraveling of the ceasefire that had held for roughly four years, with the Houthis stepping up near-daily attacks on Saudi airports and energy infrastructure in recent weeks.

The escalation has also drawn in Egypt, whose parliament postponed a vote on President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi's request to authorize military support for Saudi Arabia, with deliberations set to resume Monday. The Houthis have warned Cairo against getting involved, while Egypt's parliament speaker said intervention "would pose a grave danger to its own national security."