Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed attacks on Aramco facilities ⁠in the Saudi cities of ‌Jizan ​and Yanbu on Saturday, as fears of a renewed war in Yemen escalated.Recent attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure and shipping in the Bab Al Mandeb strait – the gateway to the Red Sea – have tested the kingdom and Yemen's internationally recognised government. The Houthis said their attack was launched after the kingdom struck the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah on Friday. Houthi spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree said the strikes showed Saudi Arabia's "determination to continue its siege of our people and its violation of our country's sovereignty". He vowed that the group would respond to "escalation with escalation".Saudi Arabia has not yet confirmed the attack, but emergency alerts were issued in both cities on Saturday morning. Last week, the Houthis said they attacked a Saudi airport and announced a naval blockade of the kingdom. They also attacked Saudi tankers. The rebel attacks followed an attack on Sanaa International Airport.The internationally recognised Yemeni government said the attack on Sanaa was launched to prevent an Iranian plane from landing, but the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia and pledged to respond. The latest escalation by the Houthis appears to be driven by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is seeking to use the Bab Al Mandeb strait as an additional pressure point against the US and its allies, Baraa Al Shaiban, a Yemeni expert and associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in the UK, told The National. "A renewed conflict is possible, especially if the Houthis decide to continue attacks in the Red Sea or if they reject the current proposals regarding Sanaa airport," Mr Al Shaiban said.The Houthis have rejected mediation efforts by Oman and Jordan aimed at restarting flights between Sanaa and Amman. The group has insisted on flights operated by Iran's Mahan Air between Tehran and Sanaa.The move would place Saudi Arabia and Yemen's government in a "difficult position, forcing them either to accept the risk of Iranian personnel and equipment entering Yemen or block the proposed route and seek alternative arrangements", he added. Iran stands to benefit from the heightened tensions by increasing its influence through control of the strait and adding pressure on the administration of US President Donald Trump, Mr Al Shaiban said.In a bid to reduce tensions, Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that it would support efforts to open Sanaa airport and bring peace to the country. “Saudi Arabia will continue to support all initiatives aimed at opening Sanaa airport to commercial flights, in order to enable Yemenis to travel, after the Houthis worked to prevent flights from operating,” Mohammed Al Jaber, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Yemen, said on X."The kingdom will continue to support the entry of ships into Hodeidah ports to meet the needs of the Yemeni people, while the Houthi militia continues its cowardly attacks on civilian commercial ships in the Red Sea."Peace will only be achieved “through a sincere will that puts the interest of Yemen and its people above all considerations", he added.The latest escalation by the Houhtis is not primarily linked to the long-running dispute over Sanaa airport, but rather reflects a combination of domestic confidence and regional calculations, Ahmed Nagi, Yemen expert at the Crisis group, told The National. The Houthis believe "they are in a strong position to press demands that extend beyond airport access, testing new red lines and signalling that they no longer require Saudi-led coalition approval to operate ports and airports under their control", he said.Regionally, pressure on Iran is increasing and the Houthis want to support Tehran by creating another source of military pressure in the Bab Al Mandeb strait. "I think those two factors together explain why we're seeing this escalation now," Mr Nagi said.Emergency warnings were issued in Yanbu and Jazan, close to the Red Sea, which the Houthis said they had "blockaded". The kingdom's Civil Defence advised residents to stay away from windows and seek shelter.A ​Saudi ​ship, ⁠NCC ⁠Masa, sustained minor ​hull damage ⁠after it was attacked while ⁠sailing in ​the ⁠Red Sea ‌on ​Friday, the Saudi state news agency SPA quoted an official source at the General Transport Authority as saying. The ​vessel ‌continued ⁠to its ​destination ​after ‌checks confirmed it ⁠and its ⁠crew were safe, the agency added. Saudi Arabia has sought to avoid renewed conflict in Yemen since it agreed to a ceasefire with the Houthis in 2022. The group seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting an intervention by a Saudi-led coalition a year later, at the request of the Yemeni government.