Saudi-Led Coalition Strikes Yemen's Hodeida as Houthis Vow Retaliation

The war between the United States and Iran drew in the wider Gulf as a Saudi-led coalition struck the Yemeni port city of Hodeida. Saudi Arabia said its forces hit military targets. The Iran-aligned Houthi movement said civilian sites were targeted and called the strikes a dangerous escalation, promising to respond.

The exchange followed Houthi attacks on several Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea in recent days. The Israeli outlet Ynet reported that after a ship sailing under the Saudi flag was hit, Riyadh answered with strikes on the port city, including reported explosions at weapons depots. By morning, the Houthis had launched missiles and drones at targets inside Saudi Arabia, including the city of Jizan.

Deutsche Welle noted the escalation comes as the United States and Iran also contest control of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital chokepoint for Gulf crude. Hodeida is a critical entry point for humanitarian supplies into Yemen, and strikes there carry consequences well beyond the fighting.