Houthis say Saudi strikes hit Hodeidah port in Yemen

HODEIDAH, Yemen — Houthi media said on Sunday, 1 November 2026, that Saudi air strikes hit Ras Issa port in Yemen's Hodeidah governorate on the Red Sea coast. The Iran-aligned Houthi group, which calls itself Ansar Allah, is fighting a Saudi-led coalition that supports the internationally recognised Yemeni government.

Al-Masirah TV, a Houthi-run channel, said that "the Saudi enemy" carried out two air strikes on Ras Issa port. The report did not give casualty figures. Residents told Agence France-Presse (AFP) they heard an explosion in the area.

The Houthi military media said earlier that Saudi warplanes had carried out 75 air strikes and one missile attack in the previous 24 hours. It said the attacks targeted what it called "civilian objects" in Saada, Taiz, Amran, Ibb, Dhamar, Lahj, Hodeidah and al-Jawf. It said the strikes used F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets. The statement said civilians had been killed and wounded but gave no toll. It also put the total number of Saudi air strikes and missile attacks since the escalation began at 3,830. The group did not give a source for that figure.

Houthi media also reported that the group's Saba news agency said Saudi strikes had hit the medical faculty of Hodeidah University. Residents told AFP they heard an explosion in the same area. Neither report has been independently confirmed.

The coalition said on Sunday that it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone launched toward the southern region of Saudi Arabia. It also said it had intercepted a ballistic missile and another drone that the Houthis had fired "toward the southern region". It said the operation had succeeded. The coalition also said it had carried out a "precision operation" to neutralise sources that the Houthis use. It released footage it said showed attacks on Hodeidah and Dhamar governorates.

Earlier on Sunday, Houthi media quoted an unnamed military official as issuing new threats against Saudi Aramco, the state oil company, and against air traffic in the kingdom. The official said Aramco facilities were "within the sights" of Yemeni armed forces and that investing in them was a "risky adventure". He also warned foreign airlines against using Saudi airspace, except the airspace over Mecca and Medina.

"Saudi facilities are within the sights of the Yemeni armed forces." — Unnamed Houthi military official, quoted by Saba news agency

Why it matters

Hodeidah is the largest seaport under Houthi control. According to Middle East Eye, it is the main entry point for food and aid into the areas the group holds, and it is also used to import and store oil. Strikes on the port therefore touch the supply of goods to a large population. The sources do not say how the strikes affected port operations or shipments.

The United Nations said on Sunday that more than 300,000 people in Yemen had been displaced by fighting in the west of the country. It said most of the displacement had happened in the past two months. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) called on all parties to protect civilians and aid workers and to allow aid to reach people safely and without obstruction, especially in hard-to-reach areas of Taiz. Abdelsattar Eisaweif, the IOM's head of mission in Yemen, said families were again forced to flee, often with only the clothes they wore. He said they needed shelter, food, clean water and health care.

Background

Yemen's war began in 2014, when the Houthis took the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to support the government. According to the BBC, Yemen returned to war in July 2026 after four years of calm. The Houthis had earlier agreed a truce in 2022, which the BBC says collapsed in July.

In September, fighting intensified. The Houthis took control of the western coast and the Bab al-Mandab strait area, a strategic route for shipping between Europe and Asia, according to the BBC. Saudi Arabia has since bombed Houthi positions, and the Houthis have increased attacks on the kingdom.

On 10 October, a Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 13 people, according to the BBC. The BBC described it as the deadliest attack on Saudi territory in about a decade. The United Nations has counted more than 1,600 deaths since fighting resumed in Yemen.

What happens next

The sources do not say whether the coalition or the Houthis plan further talks or ceasefire steps. Neither side has announced a new date for talks. Casualty figures for the 1 November strikes have not been released by an independent body, and the Saudi-led coalition has not commented on the Ras Issa strikes in the sources reviewed.