Iran-backed Houthis fire missiles at Saudi Arabia in response to airstrikes in Yemen
Brig. The attack targeted facilities in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan owned by Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, Houthis’ military spokesman Gen. Yahya Saree said in a pre-recorded statement.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defense said the warnings were heard multiple times in both cities early Saturday, but the kingdom had no further comment.
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No attacks were reported in Iran overnight; This comes as tensions remain high following the escalation in the Strait of Hormuz, despite a pause in US offensives that have been going on for almost two weeks on consecutive nights.
Tensions in the Red Sea further threaten global shipping
The Houthis said they would close the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked ships in retaliation for the kingdom’s blockade of Yemen and a recent attack on the international airport in Yemen’s rebel-held capital Sanaa.Also Read: US hits Iran from south to north after Trump’s threats regarding Red Sea ships
Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council that governs rebel-held areas in Yemen, said about what should be done to prevent the Houthis from blockading Bab-al-Mandeb: “There is nothing but ending the aggression and lifting the blockade, otherwise everything is illusion and mirage.”
Bab al-Mandeb, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a vital shipping point connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. About 12% of world trade passes through narrow passages, including a quarter of container traffic.
The Houthis targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea this week. Saudi Arabia struck Hodeida in response, the Saudi-led coalition opposing the rebels said on Saturday. Anes al-Asbahi, spokesman for the Houthi-controlled health ministry, said the port and the state-run telecommunications agency were hit and two people were injured in the attacks late Friday.
The Saudi-led coalition said it did not hit the port but hit “legitimate military targets” in Hodeida province “related to threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea.”
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi called for “diplomacy and dialogue” to resolve the Yemen conflict without “military conflicts” in an interview published by state newspaper Iran on Saturday.
No new attacks in Iran overnight
“Iran had a peaceful night,” Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said on X.
U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Unlike the previous 13 nights, no new strikes were announced.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to the United States next week and meet President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, his office said Friday. They last met in Washington in February, weeks before launching the war.
A tenuous ceasefire that has halted major operations for weeks appears to have unraveled this month. The United States accused Iran of hitting three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and responded by striking dozens of targets in Iran; Iran also retaliated by firing on US-allied Gulf Arab countries.
The US military renewed the blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard advised residents of neighboring countries to stay away from bases where US soldiers are located.
War in Iran has killed more than 3,400 people, according to the Ministry of Health. It was reported that 18 US soldiers were killed throughout the region, 24 civilians in Israel and a smaller number of civilians, including foreign workers and sailors.
More than 4,000 people were killed in Lebanon as Iran-backed Hezbollah militants opened fire on Israel in support of the Islamic Republic two days after the war began, and Israel responded with airstrikes and ground forces. Thirty-eight Israeli soldiers also died.
