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Türkiye's Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded condemnation on Tuesday of recent attacks by Yemen's Houthi movement against Saudi Arabia, warning that the strikes endanger civilians and threaten to derail efforts to reach a political settlement to the conflict in Yemen.
In a statement numbered 173 and dated September 8, 2026, the ministry said it condemned strikes reported to have hit Saudi Aramco facilities in Abha, Jazan, Najran and the Economic City, along with King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait, which Turkish officials said disregarded civilian safety and deepened tensions across the region.
The ministry's statement did not mince words, describing the Houthi offensive as an assault that "disregard the safety of civilians and escalate tensions in the region." Reports from the region indicated the attacks were extensive in scale, with the Houthis said to have deployed dozens of ballistic missiles and drones against multiple targets.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said the attacks wounded at least 73 civilians, including women and children, in what it called the latest escalation by the Iran-aligned militia.
Saudi authorities reported that fires broke out at multiple energy sites, temporarily halting operations following the strikes.
The strikes mark a significant escalation in hostilities between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed government of Yemen. The attacks came after weeks of escalating clashes between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen, which shattered a four-year truce in the country's civil war.
Fighting has reportedly continued on several fronts inside Yemen, compounding a humanitarian crisis that has left millions in need of assistance.
The Houthi movement, which controls large parts of northern Yemen including the capital Sanaa, has for years targeted Saudi Arabia with missile and drone attacks, framing them as retaliation for the Saudi-led coalition's military campaign against the group.
The conflict, which began in 2014, has repeatedly drawn in regional and international actors and has been the subject of numerous ceasefire attempts.
In its statement, Türkiye's Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its backing for "Saudi Arabia's sovereignty and territorial integrity," aligning Ankara with Riyadh at a moment of heightened regional tension. The ministry went further, arguing that the attacks carried consequences beyond the immediate military escalation.
"These attacks also undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing the conflict in Yemen to an end through a lasting political solution," the ministry said, tying the strikes directly to the broader, long-running push for a negotiated resolution to Yemen's civil war.
The ministry closed its statement with a direct appeal to the Houthis, calling on the group "to cease their aggressive actions immediately." The language places Türkiye among the international voices publicly urging de-escalation following Tuesday's attacks.
Ankara has periodically positioned itself as a mediating voice in Middle Eastern conflicts, and Tuesday's statement reflects a broader pattern of Turkish diplomacy expressing support for Gulf states while calling for de-escalation in regional conflicts. The ministry's statement did not indicate whether Türkiye planned any further diplomatic or practical steps beyond the public condemnation.
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