An attack by Yemen’s Houthis on southern Saudi Arabia wounded 11 civilians on Thursday, a military official said, as the kingdom warned that coordinated attacks by the Houthis and Iraqi militias were imminent.
Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said early Friday the attack in southern Najran Province injured seven Saudis, one Yemeni, two Egyptians and one Pakistani national.
The victims included a 4-year-old child who suffered second-degree burns.
Maliki accused Houthis of indiscriminately shelling civilian areas in violation of international humanitarian law and said the coalition would continue taking all necessary measures to protect civilians.
There was no immediate comment from the Houthis or Iran on the coalition’s statement, as the five-month-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has complicated Saudi Arabia’s security calculations.
Riyadh’s decade-old conflict with the Houthis has become increasingly entangled with the wider war, as Houthi actions, such as a Red Sea blockade that has disrupted Saudi oil exports, have raised the stakes of the broader regional confrontation.
Read more: US vows to punish Iran after Houthis strike tankers
A senior Saudi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Saudi, U.S. and other Middle Eastern countries’ intelligence found that the Houthis and Iraqi militias under the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could soon launch coordinated attacks on Saudi civilian sites including energy infrastructure, ports and airports.
Riyadh is seeking to deepen security cooperation with key allies while warning of an expanding regional threat from Iran-backed groups.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were due to sign a defence agreement in the kingdom on Friday, two regional sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
Details of the agreement were not immediately available.
Saudi Arabia already has a defence cooperation agreement with Pakistan. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in the kingdom on Thursday, while Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was due to arrive on Friday.