Houthi militia in Yemen threatens Saudi Arabia with retaliation

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Houthi militia in Yemen threatens Saudi Arabia with retaliation

After air strikes in Yemen, the Iran-allied Houthi militia vows revenge against Saudi Arabia. How will US President Trump proceed in the escalating conflict in the Middle East?

The conflict in the Middle East is expanding. After air strikes one of Saudi Arabia led military coalition in Yemen swore the from Iran Houthi militia supported the neighboring kingdom in retaliation. The attacks on civilian targets “will not go unpunished,” the Shiite militia-controlled news agency Saba quoted its message on the Telegram platform as saying. The deterrent formula is clear: escalation will be met with escalation.

According to the Iranian broadcaster Press TV, counterattacks by the Houthis followed in several areas of Saudi Arabia during the night. Accordingly, there were, among other things, explosions in the port city of Yanbu. The coastal town of Jizan is also said to have been attacked with rockets. A short time later, the Saudi Arabian Civil Defense announced on Platform X that the danger in Yanbu was over.

The escalation marks a new front in the Middle East conflict that has gripped the region since US-Israeli attacks on Iran began in February. In addition to blocking the Strait of Hormuz Tehran is now also making the situation in the Red Sea worse. In response to renewed shelling of a Saudi-flagged ship in the Red Sea, the Saudi coalition attacked “legitimate military targets” in Yemen’s Hodeidah province, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki wrote on X. Houthi-affiliated media reported attacks in the port city of the same name, Hudaida.

Facilities of the state telecommunications company in Hodeidah were hit, as was the island of Kamaran. Other reports also spoke of attacks on the port, which Al-Maliki denied. However, residents reported to the German Press Agency about several air raids and explosions in the area around the port. Flames and thick clouds of smoke were said to have risen. A Houthi-affiliated television station described the attacks as “Saudi aggression.”

The hull of the Saudi-flagged ship “NCC Masa” had previously been slightly damaged in the attack in the Red Sea, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported, citing a source in the transport authority. The Saudi Arabian oil tanker “Encelia” was attacked on Thursday night. The Shiite Houthis claimed two attacks on Sunni kingdom oil tankers.

The Saudi coalition accuses the militia of “maritime terrorism.” The conflict between the Houthis and the regional power had recently escalated again. The Houthis announced a “blockade” on Saudi Arabian ships on Monday – around a week after a new confrontation with the neighboring kingdom, with which the militia has been at war for more than ten years. The militia initially did not comment on the renewed attack on a ship.