The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthi militia towards Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province early on Thursday. Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense had issued two warnings of potential danger in Najran, in the kingdom’s southwest, and the Eastern Province, before announcing minutes later that the threat had passed in both areas. Meanwhile, the Houthis’ escalating attacks on villages and residential areas in the provinces of Lahj and Taiz have deepened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, forcing hundreds of families to flee their homes. The escalation has prompted international warnings of worsening hardship and mounting humanitarian needs in a country where 22.3 million people require aid. Government sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Houthis had stepped up attacks on residential areas using missiles, drones and mortar shells after failing to make progress on the ground, in an apparent bid to put pressure on residents and government forces. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warned that conditions for displaced people were worsening, with access to humanitarian aid and essential services increasingly difficult. It said about 5.2 million people were internally displaced before the latest escalation, while 2.2 million children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition.
