Saudi Arabia and Houthis Trade Strikes as Yemen Conflict Widens

Saudi warplanes carried out air strikes on Yemen while Houthi fighters launched drones and missiles at Saudi cities, the Iran-backed movement said, marking a sharp escalation in a conflict that has widened across the Middle East.

The Houthis, who have advanced through Yemeni towns along the Red Sea coast and seized islands in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, released video of fighters capturing armoured vehicles from Saudi-backed forces. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group had struck the Saudi Red Sea oil port of Yanbu and the southern airbase at Khamis Mushait. He did not specify when the attacks occurred. Saudi officials and oil company Aramco did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Saree also claimed the Houthis had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet, though no evidence was presented. He said Saudi Arabia had conducted as many as 450 air strikes on Yemen this week. Officials in the Saudi-backed Yemeni government acknowledged that their forces and Saudi Arabia were conducting air strikes on Houthi positions, but Riyadh has not confirmed them.

Saudi Arabia said its air defences shot down a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city, calling the attack a "red line." Houthi spokesman Saree denied targeting Mecca, calling the Saudi reports a propaganda set-up.

The United States tightened its travel warning for Saudi Arabia, barring government employees from travelling within 20 miles of the Yemen border. Sources said U.S. officials met with the Houthis in Oman over the weekend, where the group said it had no intention of attacking American vessels and was committed to a ceasefire reached last year.

The conflict threatens to worsen a global energy supply shortage caused by the six-month-old U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude hovered around $108 a barrel, near its highest since May, while the average U.S. retail diesel price hit a record above $6.30 a gallon. Traders warn that a prolonged closure of Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline could cut off as much as 4% of global oil supply. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said crude should flow through the pipeline within days.

Saudi Arabia has led a coalition battling the Houthis since 2015. The conflict had largely quietened under a ceasefire in recent years, but reignited when the Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in July. Violence intensified this month as the group pushed back forces aligned with the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman phoned U.S. President Donald Trump last week seeking military support, which so far has been limited to intelligence aid. The United States bombed the Houthis for two months in 2025 but halted the campaign after reaching a ceasefire that Trump said would stop attacks on ships. Trump now faces a dilemma: stand by and risk the Houthi advance worsening the energy crisis, or provide more direct military support and extend U.S. intervention to another theatre.