Houthi Missile Strike on Saudi City Deepens Regional Tensions
Yemen's Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a missile attack on the southern Saudi Arabian city of Jazan, according to reports from ABC Australia and France 24. In a Telegram post on Saturday, the Houthis' Ansarollah media said a "Yemeni missile strike" had sparked fires in the city, with social media footage suggesting the Aramco oil refinery there may have been hit.
The attack marked an intensification of skirmishes between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, as reported by the South China Morning Post. The Houthis said they fired missiles and drones at facilities linked to oil giant Saudi Aramco in the Red Sea port cities of Jizan and Yanbu, according to the same outlet. Saudi authorities issued brief emergency warnings but later said the danger had passed.
The Houthis had earlier accused Saudi Arabia of a "dangerous escalation" after Riyadh struck military targets belonging to the group on Friday. That strike came following the Houthis' announcement of a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and attacks on two Saudi-linked oil tankers in the Red Sea, as reported by ABC Australia. Saudi Arabia confirmed one of those attacks, according to the same source.
Pause in US Strikes on Iran
The escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia unfolded against a backdrop of shifting US military posture toward Iran. After 13 consecutive nights of strikes on Iranian military targets, the US military broke its daily announcement of fresh strikes on Saturday, according to ABC Australia. The South China Morning Post similarly reported that the US appeared to pause strikes from Friday night into Saturday, with no explanation or announcement.
US President Donald Trump said he had not yet decided whether to launch a major operation against Iran, as reported by France 24. Trump stated that Iran was now getting "serious" in talks with Washington, according to ABC Australia, and that he would hold off on a major operation. The US military's strikes have been aimed at preventing Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime route.
The pause in US strikes came as the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia opened a new front in the wider regional war. The Houthis' attacks on Saudi shipping and the parallel threat of an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — Saudi Arabia's only other maritime route — have raised concerns about the stability of oil supplies through the region, as reported by ABC Australia and France 24.