After the Iran-backed Houthis launched their most intense offensive in years on oil facilities and other locations across the border, Saudi Arabia retaliated with a series of strikes on Tuesday. The swift firefight comes months after a four-year ceasefire between the US and Iran broke down in July. According to the Houthis’ Almasirah TV station, Saudi strikes struck Marib province and Taiz province, where a deadly battle had raged for days. Riyadh did not immediately respond.
According to authorities, Houthi attacks overnight resulted in “temporary shutdowns at oil sites and injured 73 people. Saudi representatives had promised to react. The most recent attacks contribute to the rapidly worsening situation in Yemen, where the Houthis are attempting to seize territory at the mouth of the Red Sea from the forces of the internationally recognized government, resulting in hundreds of deaths in recent days.
The narrow Bab al-Mandeb strait, an increasingly crucial oil route after Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, reducing Gulf supplies to a trickle, is being contested by the Houthis, who control around one-third of Yemen’s territory, including the most heavily inhabited areas. Oil prices surged toward $100 per barrel on Tuesday, partly due to Houthi raids on Saudi tankers and oil facilities.
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