Houthis claim strike on Saudi Arabia as conflict deepens

Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed a missile strike on Saudi Arabia on Saturday, hours after vowing to retaliate against the kingdom for attacks as the Middle East war expanded.

Riyadh struck Houthi military targets in Hodeida on Friday, with rebel media reporting two wounded after the Yemeni group announced a maritime blockade of the top oil producer and hit its ships.

The flare-up marks a new front of the war that has engulfed the region following US-Israeli strikes on Tehran in February, and comes on top of Iran's parallel blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Riyadh's only other maritime route.

The rebels had accused Saudi Arabia of a "dangerous escalation" and said its actions "will not go unanswered".

The Houthis' Ansarollah media said on Telegram early Saturday that a "Yemeni missile strike" had sparked fires in the southern Saudi city of Jizan on the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the claim.

But Riyadh's civil defence agency had issued brief warnings to residents in Jizan and Yanbu early on Saturday for "potential danger", only to lift the warnings minutes later.

Similar warnings have been issued in the past when missiles or drones were fired at the kingdom.

The warning came after the Saudi-led coalition said on Friday it had hit Houthi sites and destroyed targets threatening commercial vessels in response to attacks on Red Sea shipping.

A Yemeni security source told the media a naval base in the port city of Hodeida and a military camp on Kamaran island were among the Saudi targets.

The Houthis claimed attacks on two Saudi ships earlier this week, with Saudi Arabia confirming one of the attacks in the Red Sea.

Agence France-Presse