Saudi Mufti Urges Troops to Sacrifice Lives Against Houthis

Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan issued a statement late Thursday through the Saudi Press Agency to soldiers on the kingdom's borders and front lines. He said protecting this great nation and punishing anyone who seeks to lay a hand on even an inch of its territory are among the greatest duties and most virtuous acts of devotion, for which lives and souls may be sacrificed in seeking God's pleasure. Al-Fawzan, who chairs the Council of Senior Scholars, called asserting the Saudi-backed internationally recognized Yemeni government's authority over the entire country among the most pressing obligations. He urged troops to remain prepared, obey rulers and commanders, stand united against what he termed a misguided sect and deviant group, and asked God for the complete defeat of the Houthis and those who assist them. The appeal came amid renewed fighting. On Thursday Saudi air defences intercepted six ballistic missiles aimed at Taif and Yanbu, while the Houthis claimed an attack on a sensitive target in Riyadh and on Aramco facilities in Yanbu. Yemeni government forces lost the Bab el-Mandeb waterway to the Houthis two weeks earlier. The Houthis declared a naval blockade against Riyadh in July. State TV aired footage of an alleged Houthi mosque strike in southern Saudi Arabia, and authorities accused the Houthis of an attack on Mecca. Saudi Arabia has been involved since a 2015 intervention; the 12-year civil war was largely frozen after a 2022 truce and has escalated again. No contested claims found in the record. Observers have questioned whether Saudi Arabia and its Yemeni allies will mount a broader military operation.