Cairo/Dubai. Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthis attacked energy facilities and cities in US ally Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, wounding more than 70 people and underscoring the risk of the Iran conflict escalating into a wider regional war.
The six-month-old conflict, opens new tab in Iran has been marked by a cycle of pauses followed by periodic flare-ups since the US and Israel launched attacks on February 28 that were aimed at ending Tehran's nuclear programme, halting its ability to attack its neighbours and curtailing its support for regional proxies.
The Houthi attacks came after Iran warned that energy infrastructure across the Gulf, including US oil and gas interests, was vulnerable in the wake of a tit-for-tat exchange of attacks on ships in and around the Gulf last weekend. The attacks sent oil prices climbing to more than six-week highs.
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