Boiling Over: Houthis Launch Missile at Saudi Arabia

Yemen’s Houthi rebel group has claimed it launched a missile attack against Saudi Arabia on Saturday (25/7), hours after vowing to retaliate against strikes on the kingdom as the war in the Middle East widens. The Saudi military struck Houthi military targets in Hodeida, Yemen, on Friday (24/7), with rebel media reporting two people were injured in the Saudi attack. The strikes were carried out after the Iran-backed group announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and attacked its tankers. The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of a “dangerous escalation” and said the action “will not go unanswered”. Houthi-affiliated Ansarollah media said on Telegram on Saturday morning that a “Yemeni missile attack” had sparked fires in the Red Sea city of Jizan, in southern Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the claim. However, the Riyadh civil defence authority had earlier issued a brief warning to residents in Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday morning about a “potential danger”. The warning was lifted minutes later. Similar warnings have previously been issued when missiles or drones were fired towards the kingdom. The alert came after the Saudi-led coalition said on Friday that it had struck Houthi sites and destroyed targets that threatened commercial shipping. The strikes were described as a response to Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthi group has been at war with the Yemeni government since 2014, in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people. The recent exchange of fire threatens the 2022 ceasefire that has largely held.