Clashes between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels are widening. Brent crude climbed to just below $100 a barrel as Houthi attacks on facilities including state oil company Saudi Aramco heightened risks around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea.
The Houthis said in a statement on the 8th that they had carried out a broad military operation using dozens of ballistic missiles and drones to strike key facilities inside Saudi Arabia. Targets included Aramco refining facilities in Abha and Jizan and air bases in Najran and Khamis Mushait, according to the group.
The attacks are seen as retaliation for large-scale airstrikes recently conducted in Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition. The Houthis said Saudi Arabia had carried out 121 relentless airstrikes on areas including Marib, Al Bayda, Al Hudaydah, Taiz and Al Jawf, and that an attack on the central prison in Al Hazm, Al Jawf province, killed or wounded many people.
The Houthis characterized the Saudi strikes as an escalation serving U.S. and Israeli interests and warned of thorough retaliation. Framed as an eye-for-an-eye, tooth-for-a-tooth response — siege for siege — the group's strikes appear likely to continue targeting the Saudi heartland.
The Saudi military said at least 73 civilians were wounded in the missile and drone attacks. Spokesman Turki al-Maliki called the strikes a clear violation of Saudi sovereignty and a direct threat to the safety and security of Saudi citizens and residents, warning that the military would take all operational measures to firmly counter the hostile posture. The Saudi government also confirmed that fires at energy-related facilities in the south had halted some operations. Yemeni government forces signaled a sweeping response as well, with Deputy Defense Minister Samir al-Sabri announcing plans to retake the capital, Sanaa, from the Houthis.
As the exchanges intensified, tensions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — regarded as an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz — pushed oil prices sharply higher. Brent crude for November delivery traded at $98.45 a barrel in the afternoon, up 1.45%, while West Texas Intermediate for October delivery rose 2.6% to $93.91. The Houthis have declared they will blockade the Red Sea in a move aimed at Saudi Arabia. According to the World Health Organization, at least 728 people have been killed or wounded in areas of fighting between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia since the 23rd of last month, as of that day.
