Military strikes between Yemen's ruling Houthi militia and Saudi Arabia have flared for the first time since the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Houthis agreed to a truce in 2022.
Tensions rose earlier in July when the Iran-backed Houthi group claimed that Saudi Arabia had struck the airport in Sanaa to prevent Houthi leaders from returning after the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Saudi Arabia, for its part, has denied the attack and claimed that the Houthis were spreading false claims.
Since then, the Houthis have struck facilities owned by Saudi Arabia's national oil company, Aramco, forcing the Jazan production site to shut down. The blow hit Saudi Arabia particularly hard as Jazan has been serving as an export hub to circumvent Iran's ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis also announced that they would block Saudi-linked commercial vessels from passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden — prompting several ships to turn back this week. The narrow strait has become more significant for Saudi oil exports due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis said they fired missiles at the oil tanker NCC Ghazal.
