Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels yesterday claimed a missile attack on Saudi Arabia, opening a new front as conflict between US and Iranian allies intensified.
Houthi media said the rebels targeted the Saudi Red Sea city of Jizan. Saudi civil defence issued warnings in Jizan and Yanbu, while Ansarollah media claimed the strike sparked fires at an Aramco refinery. An AFP-verified video showed dark smoke rising above the facility.
Earlier, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of a “dangerous escalation” after Riyadh struck Houthi targets on Friday. A Yemeni security source said a naval base in Hodeida and a military camp on Kamaran Island were hit.
The Houthis have fought Yemen’s Saudi-backed government since 2015, though a UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely froze the conflict. This week, the group announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, targeting Saudi tankers in the Red Sea.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said yesterday there was no military solution to the Yemen conflict, urging dialogue. He denied Iran was responsible for the situation in Yemen or the Bab al-Mandab Strait, saying it stemmed from longstanding regional disputes.
The threat to shipping comes alongside Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said yesterday they stopped four ships attempting to transit the strait via an “illegal and unsafe route” after firing warning shots, forcing them to alter course. Tehran has recently targeted tankers using a route along Oman’s coast to pressure vessels into using Iranian waters and paying for safe passage.
Meanwhile, the US did not announce strikes on Iran for the first time after 13 consecutive nights of attacks.
Yesterday, the US did not announce strikes on Iran for the first time after 13 consecutive nights of bombardments against the Islamic republic.
US President Donald Trump said he had not yet decided whether to launch major strikes on Iran, hours before the escalation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen, because Tehran was now getting “serious” in talks with Washington.
“No, I haven’t,” Trump told journalists in the Oval Office when asked if he had made a decision on hitting Iran hard.
“Look, we’re talking to them right now. I think they’re getting more and more serious as the days go by, for maybe the obvious reason.”
Trump said Iran must either reach a deal or face a “much higher level” of strikes, adding his red line remained Iran nearing a nuclear weapon.
The war that Trump once predicted would last four or five weeks is now nearing its fifth month, and is weighing on the Republican’s approval ratings ahead of crucial US midterm elections in November.
Iran has responded with strikes on US bases that have killed four service members. The Iranian military said Friday it had carried out attacks targeting US military assets in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, said they had targeted an Amazon data centre in Bahrain, according to state media, though neither the US tech giant nor Bahrain has commented on the claim.
There was also no confirmation from the United States of any targeting of its facilities or personnel.
