The Government of Maldives has strongly condemned ongoing assaults by the Houthi militia against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, describing the strikes as a flagrant breach of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and international law.
In an official statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, authorities denounced the deployment of ballistic missiles and armed drones directed towards the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as well as the country’s southern provinces. The statement noted that the strikes deliberately targeted essential civilian infrastructure and administrative facilities.
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The Maldivian government classified the actions as grave violations of both international law and international humanitarian law. Officials urged an immediate cessation of the offensive operations, warning that the strikes not only jeopardise civilian lives across Saudi Arabia but also undermine broader regional stability and security.
Reaffirming bilateral ties, the Maldives declared its full solidarity with the Saudi government and its people. The administration reiterated its unwavering backing for all measures the Kingdom undertakes to defend its borders, safeguard its security, and protect the Two Holy Mosques.
The conflict stems from the rise of the Zaydi Shiite Houthi movement in northern Yemen during the early 2000s, which initially fought the central Yemeni government before clashing along the Saudi border in 2009. Tensions escalated into a full-scale regional confrontation in March 2015, when Saudi Arabia assembled an international coalition to launch a military intervention aimed at rolling back a Houthi coup that had captured the capital, Sanaa. In response, the Houthis launched a protracted asymmetric campaign, utilizing Iranian-supplied drones and ballistic missiles to target Saudi airports, military sites, and critical Aramco energy installations deep within the Kingdom. A UN-brokered truce in 2022 paved the way for direct diplomatic talks and a prolonged halt to major cross-border assaults, though lingering political deadlocks and wider regional turmoil have periodically threatened this fragile de-escalation.
The latest escalation involves renewed long-range drone and ballistic missile strikes by Houthi forces aimed directly at major Saudi transport and energy hubs. A prominent recent operation targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, alongside military air bases and critical energy installations located across the Kingdom’s southern regions, including Khamis Mushait.
While Saudi Royal Air Defense forces intercepted the incoming projectiles, falling debris and shrapnel over populated areas prompted flight diversions, minor structural damage, and widespread international condemnation over the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure. The assaults signal an aggressive departure from the relative restraint seen following earlier ceasefire talks, driven in part by broader regional instability and disputes over Sana’a airspace restrictions and maritime corridors.
