Saudi Arabia has carried out airstrikes on the Houthi-controlled city of Hodeidah in Yemen, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict. The strikes targeted key facilities, including telecommunications sites and Kamaran Island.
This development follows the Houthis’ announcement of a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, which was a response to earlier attacks. The conflict has intensified after a four-year informal truce ended, increasing instability in the region.
Saudi Arabia has launched strikes on Yemen’s Houthi-held city of Hodeidah, according to media controlled by the rebel group that controls large parts of the country.
Related coverage: Oman Holds Talks with Tehran on Managing Hormuz Strait as US and Iran Continue Hostilities.
Houthi security sources reported late on Friday that sites had been hit. Separate reports said that a Saudi ship had been hit in the Red Sea.
The strikes come amid high tension, after the Houthis announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and targeted several of its ships.
Background: Netanyahu’s upcoming White House visit highlights US-Israel coordination during Iran conflict.
The attack appears to escalate the conflict currently rending the region, as the United States engages in hostilities with Iran, and Israel persists in implementing military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
“A Saudi aggression comprising a series of air strikes hit facilities belonging to the telecommunications authority,” Al-Masirah TV channel said, adding that the strikes also targeted Kamaran Island.
The Houthi blockade, announced on July 20, was framed by leaders as an “eye for an eye” response to a strike on Sanaa’s international airport a week earlier, which the group blamed on Saudi Arabia.
Military spokesman Yahya Saree said at the time that the attack had ended a “de-escalation phase” the two sides had maintained since an informal truce took hold in 2022.
Although never formalised, the truce had held for four years and was the longest lull in hostilities since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the government.
Hodeidah’s port handles the bulk of commercial and humanitarian imports into Houthi-controlled northern Yemen, making it one of the most sensitive targets for the rebel group.
More to come.
Related coverage:
No comments yet. Start the discussion.