ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Saudi Arabia on Tuesday condemned attacks launched by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on “civilian and economic sites,” saying they caused 73 casualties, including women and children.

The remarks come as fighting has intensified between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, which has launched a counteroffensive to reclaim territory from the Houthis.

Spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen Turki al-Maliki said the Houthis’ “senseless attacks” targeted civilian and economic sites in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran cities, “resulting in injuries to 73 civilians, including women and children,” without specifying when the attacks took place.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia led a military coalition that intervened in Yemen to support the government in quashing a Houthi uprising, giving rise to a lengthy civil war that saw Riyadh come under stark international criticism for alleged war crimes and indiscriminate bombardment.

Since that juncture, the forces of the official Yemeni government have cooperated closely with Saudi troops, with whom they share a presence at numerous military bases across Yemen.

The Saudi foreign ministry condemned the attacks and the militia’s targeting of commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

“The Kingdom reiterates its categorical rejection of the hostile approach and criminal behavior that this militia has consistently pursued in threatening the security and stability of the sisterly Republic of Yemen and its Arab and Islamic surroundings, and its continued rejection of all peace efforts,” it said.

The Shiite militant group imposed a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia on July 22, announcing on Wednesday that eight Saudi oil tankers were targeted in the Red and Arabian Seas since that point.

The blockade, which came after the Houthis accused Riyadh of bombing Sanaa International Airport and of perpetuating an embargo of Houthi-controlled territory, has threatened Saudi oil exports, hampering transit along its western coast and adding to the pressure imposed by Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.