Full story
Missiles, drones, and claims
Iran-backed Houthis said they fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi airstrikes on Hodeida, with Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree saying the attack targeted Aramco facilities in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defense said alerts sounded multiple times early Saturday in Yanbu and Jizan, while there was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis also claimed they shot down a Turkish-made Bayraktar Akıncı drone operated by Saudi Arabia over Yemen’s Al Jawf province, saying the unmanned aerial vehicle was brought down while carrying out “hostile activities.”
The escalation came after Saudi airstrikes on Sana’a International Airport earlier this month aimed to halt humanitarian flights transporting patients and stranded civilians, and the Houthis’ claims were accompanied by footage described as showing burning wreckage of the aircraft.
Yahya Saree and competing accounts
In a prerecorded statement, Yahya Saree said the Houthis “successfully shot down a Turkish-made Bayraktar Akinci armed reconnaissance drone belonging to the Saudi enemy while it was conducting hostile operations,” adding it was brought down “using an appropriate weapon.”
The Caspian Post, via IRIB, said the Houthis identified the aircraft as a Bayraktar Akıncı but did not provide further details about the circumstances of the incident or evidence supporting the claim.
On the Saudi side, the Jerusalem Post reported that Greek military personnel operated a US-made Patriot air defense battery in Saudi Arabia and intercepted two ballistic missiles launched from Yemen targeting refineries in Yanbu, citing Greek security sources told Reuters.
The Jerusalem Post also said Saudi Civil Defense had issued an emergency alert in Yanbu to warn residents of danger, while Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said they carried out operations targeting Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday, according to a statement by Yahya Sare.
Shipping chokepoints and next steps
The Houthis’ Red Sea escalation raised the prospect of wider disruption, because the rebels have said they would close the Bab el Mandeb strait to Saudi-linked shipping, a chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
“Iran-backed Houthis fire missiles at Saudi Arabia in response to airstrikes in Yemen Iran-backed Houthis fire missiles at Saudi Arabia in response to airstrikes in Yemen CAIRO (AP) — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said Saturday that they fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea city of Hodeida, in an escalation over vital shipping routes in the Middle East while the United States and Iran vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz”
NBC News reported that around 12% of the world’s trade, including a quarter of global container traffic, passes through the narrows, and it said the Houthis targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea this week.
In response, Saudi Arabia struck the port city of Hodeida in Yemen, with the Saudi-led coalition saying it didn’t hit the port but struck “legitimate military targets” in Hodeida province linked to threats to commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
NBC News also said Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called for “diplomacy and dialogue” to solve the Yemen conflict without “military confrontations,” while it noted that unlike the previous 13 nights, the U.S. Central Command did not announce new strikes.
