Houthis report Saudi-led airstrikes, claim retaliatory attacks on Saudi Arabia

The Houthi-run health ministry said Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on homes in al-Shariya village, east of the capital Sanaa, killed 27 people and wounded 36 others, while the Houthi group claimed retaliatory missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The ministry gave the casualty toll in a statement released to the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that further airstrikes targeted rescue workers and homes in the village, while military aircraft activity overhead hampered emergency teams attempting to reach the victims. Two of the channel‘s cameramen were also reported to have been wounded.

The strikes came a day after an attack on a crowded market in Yemen's southwestern Taiz province killed at least 30 people and wounded eight others, with the Houthis and government authorities trading accusations over responsibility.

Late on Saturday, the Houthi group said it had carried out six military operations using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones against oil facilities, an international airport and military positions in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, claiming casualties among Saudi troops.

In a televised statement broadcast by al-Masirah TV, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the first operation targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh, along with oil storage tanks and a distillation tower belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco.

Sarea said two other operations targeted Aramco facilities in Khurais, east of Riyadh, and a pumping station in the Al Duwadimi area of central Saudi Arabia. He described the three operations as successful, without providing details of any damage.

A fourth operation targeted a Saudi troops camp in Najran, southern Saudi Arabia, the spokesman said, claiming numerous casualties.

He added that two further operations targeted gatherings of Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces in Yemen’s northern Al-Jawf province and in eastern Yemen‘s oil-rich Marib province, including areas east of the Raghwan and Medghal districts, claiming dozens of soldiers were killed or wounded.

The Houthi announcement came amid intensified Saudi-led coalition airstrikes across Yemen and ground fighting between the Houthis and government forces, alongside repeated Houthi claims of missile and drone attacks against Saudi airports, oil installations and military facilities.

There was no immediate comment from the Saudi-led coalition on either the airstrike allegations or the Houthi claims.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.

Houthis report Saudi-led airstrikes, claim retaliatory attacks on Saudi Arabia

New Zealand's ruling National-led coalition has secured a parliamentary majority in the general election, preliminary results showed early Sunday, putting Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on course to retain power for a second term.

The Election Commission's tally of all voting places has resulted in 11 "overhang" seats, increasing to 131 the total number of seats in parliament, which normally has 120.

Among the seats, the National Party, ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First collectively secured 67, giving the three-party coalition a narrow majority to continue governing, while the opposition bloc of the Labor Party, the Green Party and the Maori Party garnered 57 in total.

The contest between the National and the Labor, led by former prime minister Chris Hipkins, remained exceptionally close, with each securing over 29 percent, according to preliminary figures.

Addressing supporters in Auckland, Luxon said the election was "too close to call," with the final outcome hinging on special votes to be counted. He acknowledged that negotiations and compromise would be needed to form the next government.

The outcome could still change when 700,000 special votes are counted days later. These include ballots cast by overseas voters and people voting outside their electorates, and are not included in the preliminary results, according to the Electoral Commission, which is scheduled to release the final official results, including special votes, on Nov. 27.

The Green Party has won a record 16 seats in parliament. The centrist Opportunity Party has also made a parliamentary breakthrough, projected to win seven seats, preliminary results showed.

The country has nearly 3.8 million provisionally enrolled voters for the 2026 general election, representing 93.6 percent of the estimated eligible population, below the final enrolment rates of 94.7 percent in 2023 and 94.1 percent in 2020, the commission said.

New Zealand uses the mixed-member proportional voting system to elect its parliament. Under this system, voters cast two ballots, one for a political party and another for their local electorate candidate. The government is usually formed by two or more parliamentary political parties.

New Zealand's National-led coalition wins majority parliamentary seats: preliminary results