At least 11 people were killed and over 30 wounded in the Yemeni port city of Mokha following a series of Houthi missile and drone strikes, local medical and military sources reported, on the heels of Riyadh’s landmark defense agreement with Pakistan and Türkiye.
The bombardment came shortly after the Iran-aligned group launched a separate drone salvo targeting a major Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea coast.
According to medical personnel in Mokha—a city controlled by Yemen’s internationally recognized government—the casualties included eight military personnel and three civilians.
Houthis take responsibility for large-scale attack against Saudi military buildups and weapons depots in the Mocha area pic.twitter.com/7QTW9jL7PP
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) August 9, 2026
An additional 32 individuals were injured, with civilian casualties linked directly to strikes on the city’s commercial harbor and storage facilities. Yemen’s Transportation Ministry condemned the attack, citing “severe damage” to critical maritime infrastructure.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the barrage, stating they targeted Saudi military personnel and weaponry in the area.
Tensions Escalating Across the Red Sea
The assault on Mokha followed a Houthi drone strike on Saudi Aramco’s Jazan refinery, which processes approximately 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The Saudi Energy Ministry confirmed a fire broke out at the southwestern facility but was quickly extinguished without casualties.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree confirmed the group targeted the refinery, reiterating a naval blockade declared against Saudi Arabia last month in response to what the group claims is a Saudi-led siege.
The dual strikes mark a dangerous escalation that threatens to collapse a fragile 2022 truce and reignite full-scale fighting in Yemen’s civil war.
Iran-backed Houthis have resumed attacks on Yemen’s al-Makha port in the Red Sea, striking Saudi weapons depots with missiles and drones.
Yemen’s military says at least seven people were killed. pic.twitter.com/TwB61JmO4S
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 10, 2026
Regional Backdrop and Alliances
The cross-border attacks occurred just two days after Saudi Arabia signed a landmark tripartite defense pact with Turkey and Pakistan to bolster collective deterrence amid widening Middle Eastern instability. The agreement stipulates that an armed attack on one member will be treated as an attack on all three.
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan clarified that the pact is not aimed at any specific nation, it remains unclear whether Islamabad or Ankara will assist in a potential Saudi response.
Pakistan Declares Trilateral Makkah Defense Pact Open to Regional States
The maritime disruptions in the Red Sea add further strain to global energy markets already rattled by broader regional conflict and ongoing diplomatic deadlocks over key transit routes, including the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan and Turkey emphasize that the agreement is defensive in its character,
Iran Calls Saudi Alliance with Pakistan, Türkiye ‘Paper Agreement’
Tehran is not just hiding its disapproval of the trilateral accord but also cast it just a “paper agreement.”
Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, appeared to make light of Riyadh’s quest for security.
”The Saudis should know that a paper agreement with Türkiye and Pakistan will not bring them security, just as years of one-sided ‘milking’ by the Americans did not bring them security,” he wrote in a social media post
”Change your policies so that you do not have to beg for security from others,” Rezaei added in a post on X platform.
Analysts say Iran may be risking its ties with more Muslim nations if it continues to view everything from its rivalry with Saudi Arabia.
Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
