Saudi says not involved in targeting Yemen’s Hodeidah, closely following ‘escalation’

Saudi Arabia released a statement Sunday clarifying that it was not involved in an attack targeting the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah.

On Saturday, the Israeli army announced that its fighter jet bombed Houthi military targets in Yemen, in response to the militant group’s attacks against Israel in recent months.

The Kingdom’s defense ministry spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said that “Saudi Arabia has no relation or involvement in targeting Hodeidah,” in a statement reported by the official Saudi Press Agency.

He added that the Kingdom “will not allow any entity to violate its airspace.”

The foreign affairs ministry said it is following the “military escalation” with “great concern,” adding that it can “compound the current tension in the region and harm the ongoing efforts to end the war on Gaza,” according to another SPA report.

The ministry called for restraint and affirmed Saudi Arabia’s continued efforts to support peace in Yemen and achieve regional security.

Firefighters in Yemen continue to battle a large blaze caused by the Israeli strike. At least three deaths have been reported by the militant group.

Following the deadly Israeli attack on Sunday, the Iran-backed Houthis promised to hit back in a “huge” way.

Late Sunday, Israel said its Arrow 3 missile defense system shot down a surface to surface missile fired from Yemen. Before the interception, air raid sirens had sounded in the Red Sea port city of Eilat in southern Israel, sending residents scrambling for shelter.