The Saudi‑led coalition in Yemen struck Houthi targets on Saturday in response to missile attacks launched by the Iranian‑backed group.
The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition, the military structure supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government, said its forces hit "legitimate military targets" used by the Houthis to threaten commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The Yemeni government air force also carried out strikes on Houthi missile and drone launch sites, Al Jazeera English reported.
Saudi authorities announced warnings for Jazan, along the country’s border with Yemen, and for Yanbu early Saturday morning, asking people to seek shelter. Authorities have lifted the warnings, stating that the danger has passed.
The attacks underscored how quickly the conflict is widening as the Houthis in Yemen have opened a second front in the US-Iran war. The Houthis announced a blockade of shipping routes through the Red Sea in response to recent strikes by the kingdom on the Yemeni capital, Sana’a.
That escalation has fed directly into global energy anxiety, with Red Sea tension compounding existing disruptions. Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is largely paralyzed by hostilities between the US and Iran. Brent crude closed on Friday at $96.78 a barrel. It has soared about 27% in the past two weeks, with US‑Iran skirmishes worsening and instability extending to the Red Sea.
