The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said on Wednesday that it had launched a large-scale operation, destroying 82 Houthi military targets across several provinces, in response to attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

Coalition spokesman Turki Al Maliki said on X that the operation targeted sites in Saada, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf and Marib.

The targets included sources of ballistic missile threats, including 11 mountain-based missile storage facilities in Saada, as well as command and control centers, communications systems, missile and weapons depots, and Houthi gathering sites, Al Maliki said.

He said a ballistic missile launch platform in Sanaa was destroyed while preparations were underway for an imminent attack on Saudi Arabia.

Al Maliki said the operation followed attacks on civilian sites in Saudi Arabia, including recent strikes targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport. According to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, the attacks on the two airports killed three people and injured 36 others.

Yemen's Houthi group, meanwhile, said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia had carried out 156 air and missile strikes on the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa and five other provinces.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement posted on X that the strikes hit areas in Sanaa and the provinces of Taiz, Saada, Al-Jawf, Marib and Amran. He claimed that some civilian sites were among the targets but provided no further details.

Sarea also said Houthi forces had repelled an attempt by Yemeni government forces to advance toward their positions in eastern Al-Jawf, near the Saudi border.

He said the Houthis had targeted government troop concentrations in the area with ballistic missiles and drones, claiming that dozens of soldiers were killed or wounded and several military vehicles destroyed.

The escalation comes amid intensified fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, particularly around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait. Saudi Arabia has stepped up air operations, while the Houthis have increased missile and drone attacks against targets inside Saudi Arabia.

Under the Mecca Defense Cooperation Agreement, Pakistani forces are currently engaged in defense cooperation with Saudi Arabia in multiple areas. However, sources said Türkiye currently has no plans to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia.

'New state of deadlock'

Li Zixin, a Middle East expert at the China Institute of International Studies, said the escalating strikes between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces are increasingly affecting civilian infrastructure, pushing the conflict into a phase of "symmetrical attrition."

"This will worsen Yemen's humanitarian crisis and leave the conflict in a new state of deadlock," Li said.

"Over the past two days, the targets have expanded to civilian aviation and energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia has deployed more than 100 aircraft and responded with saturation strikes involving more than 1,000 airstrikes, covering most key areas under Houthi control. The conflict is entering a rapidly escalating vicious cycle," he said.

"The Houthis have designated Saudi airspace as an alleged area of operations and warned international airlines to suspend flights, crossing a basic red line for civil aviation safety," Li added.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Wednesday that more than 184,000 people have been displaced across Yemen since August 1, including more than 21,000 in the past week alone.

Li warned that if fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis escalates further, disruption to shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait would become increasingly likely.

"If both major maritime chokepoints in the region become highly unstable, it could have a serious negative impact on international shipping and global energy markets," he said.