The Houthi group claimed responsibility for a missile attack on Saudi Arabia on Saturday, hours after vowing to retaliate against strikes carried out by the kingdom on their targets, amid the widening scope of the war in the Middle East.
Riyadh launched airstrikes on Houthi military targets in the Yemeni city of Hodeidah on Friday, while the group’s Al-Masirah TV reported two injuries, after announcing a naval blockade on the kingdom and targeting its ships.
This escalation represents a new front in the war that swept the region following the US-Israeli strikes on Tehran at the end of February, and comes amid the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Riyadh’s other maritime passage.
The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out a "dangerous escalation," saying that it "will not go unanswered."
The Houthi group Ansar Allah said via Telegram on Saturday that a Yemeni missile attack caused fires in the southern Saudi city of Jizan on the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia did not issue any immediate comment on the claim, but the Civil Defense in Riyadh issued an early warning to residents of Jizan and Yanbu at dawn on Saturday about a possible danger, then lifted it minutes later.
Similar warnings have been issued in the past when missiles or drones were launched at the kingdom.
This warning came after the Saudi-led coalition announced on Friday that it had targeted Houthi positions and destroyed targets threatening commercial ships in response to attacks targeting shipping in the Red Sea.
A Yemeni security source said that a naval base in the coastal city of Hodeidah and a military camp on Kamaran Island were among the targets.
The Houthis had claimed responsibility for attacking two Saudi ships earlier this week, while Saudi Arabia confirmed that one of its ships was targeted while sailing in the Red Sea.
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The Yemeni security source, who asked not to be identified, said the Saudi strikes targeted a communications building near the port of Hodeidah and a naval base in Ras al-Khatib in Hodeidah.
The Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV reported that two people were injured: a worker in Hodeidah and a woman on Kamaran Island. It also reported that a telecommunications building in Hodeidah was targeted.
On Monday, the Houthis warned ships in a radio message that they would target vessels belonging to the “Saudi enemy” if they did not comply with the blockade they were imposing.
On Friday, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) quoted an official source at the Public Transport Authority as saying, “The targeting of the Saudi ship NCC MASA while it was sailing in the Red Sea resulted in a minor injury to its hull.”
The agency added that the ship had resumed its course.
Access to the Red Sea has become vital for Saudi Arabia to ensure the continuation of oil shipments, given the disruption to shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to data from Kpler, all Saudi seaborne crude oil exports departed from the Red Sea port of Yanbu during April and May. These exports accounted for 92% of total seaborne crude oil exports in June and 78% so far in July.
The Houthis have been waging war against the Yemeni government since 2014, in a conflict that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands.
The latest exchange of fire threatens the truce that was agreed upon in 2022 and has remained in place despite its expiration.
The resumption of hostilities poses a greater threat to the region, in light of statements by US President Donald Trump in which he said he was considering launching more dangerous airstrikes on Iran.
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