Houthis Launch Missiles and Drones at Saudi Arabia After Airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeida

CAIRO: Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in retaliation for Saudi airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeida, marking a fresh escalation in regional tensions linked to the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict over key maritime shipping routes.

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the operation targeted facilities belonging to Saudi Aramco in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan. Saudi civil defense authorities confirmed that warning sirens were activated multiple times in both cities early Saturday but did not immediately provide further details on the attacks or any damage.

The latest exchange comes as tensions remain high across the Middle East, despite an apparent pause in U.S. airstrikes on Iran following nearly two weeks of sustained military operations. The conflict has increasingly expanded beyond the Strait of Hormuz, drawing in regional actors and threatening vital global shipping lanes.

The Houthis warned that they could intensify attacks on shipping linked to Saudi Arabia by targeting vessels transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Around 12% of global trade and roughly a quarter of the world’s container traffic passes through the waterway, raising concerns over potential disruptions to international commerce and energy supplies.

The renewed hostilities underscore growing instability across the region, with the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz emerging as parallel flashpoints in a broader confrontation that continues to fuel concerns over maritime security, global trade, and regional stability.