Houthis claim Saudi strikes kill mother, child in Yemen's Al-Jawf

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Tuesday claimed that Saudi Arabian airstrikes in the northwestern province of Al-Jawf killed a mother and her child and wounded three other members of the same family.

The Houthi health ministry, cited by the group's news agency and AFP, said the strikes hit the Al-Batin area of Al-Hazm district. It said the woman's husband and two other children were also injured.

"A mother and child were killed, while her husband and two of her other children were wounded in strikes carried out by the Saudi enemy in the Al-Batin area of Al-Hazm, in Al-Jawf province," the Houthi news agency reported.

The claims could not be independently verified. Houthi-linked sources have previously reported civilian casualties from Saudi strikes in Al-Jawf.

Houthi officials also report deaths at prison

The latest claims came alongside allegations that a Saudi strike on a prison in Al-Hazm killed nine detainees.

Houthi official Abdelkader al-Murtada told the Saba news agency that nine prisoners captured during recent fighting were killed when Saudi forces targeted a prison in Al-Jawf governorate.

"Nine prisoners captured during recent events were killed last night when the Saudi enemy targeted a prison" in Al-Hazm, al-Murtada said, according to AFP.

The report follows an earlier Saudi strike on the Central Corrective Facility in Al-Hazm on September 7. Houthi authorities initially said that seven people, including a child, were killed and at least seven others were wounded. Subsequent reports said the death toll had risen as rescue teams recovered additional bodies.

Fighting intensifies between Houthis and Saudi-backed forces

The reported strikes come amid a renewed escalation between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces.

The Houthis have accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out repeated airstrikes across Houthi-held areas, including Al-Jawf, Marib, Taiz and Al-Bayda. The group has also launched missiles and drones towards Saudi territory during the latest escalation.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has reported Houthi attacks involving missiles and drones. On September 19, Riyadh said it intercepted a ballistic missile launched towards the Saudi capital, with no casualties or damage reported.

The renewed fighting has also raised concerns over regional security and shipping through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb. The G7 foreign ministers on September 21 called on Iran to stop arming and supporting the Houthis and urged the group to halt military operations and attacks on civilian shipping.

The latest Houthi claims of casualties in Al-Jawf come as the broader conflict continues to intensify, with both sides reporting attacks and casualties while independent verification of individual battlefield claims remains difficult.