On July 20, 2026, fighters supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government based in Aden gather at a vigil on the Red Sea coast in Kawka, Yemen’s western Hodeidah province, calling for a resumption of fighting against the Houthis, who currently control the capital Sanaa. (Photo by Khaled ZIAD/AFP via Getty Images)
Khaled Ziad | AFP | Getty Images
Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that coalition forces had attacked Houthi militias in Yemen after Iranian-backed groups claimed they attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea earlier this week.
Saudi air defense forces reportedly intercepted two ballistic missiles from Yemen.
The recent volleys appear to signal an escalation in fighting on the second front of the Iran war.
Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led Coalition to Restoration of Yemeni Orthodoxy, said in a statement that the Saudi attack “focused solely on legitimate military targets used by the terrorist Houthi militia to threaten commercial shipping in the Red Sea.”
On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he would hold Iran responsible for further attacks after the Houthi militants announced they had attacked a Saudi oil tanker.
“If they do something like this again, the United States will hold Iran accountable,” he said in a post on Truth Social. “Significant military penalties will be imposed on Iran and, of course, on the Houthis themselves, in that the Houthis are agents or proxies of Iran.”
The Houthis on Monday declared a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia and threatened to cut off Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Al-Malki said the Houthis had committed a “reckless and cowardly act of targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea.”
Saudi Arabia’s air defense systems intercepted two ballistic missiles launched from Yemen targeting an oil refinery in Yanbu on Saturday, Reuters reported, citing Greek security sources.
Saudi civil defense authorities issued several warnings for Yanbu, located on the Red Sea, and later announced that the danger had passed. There were no direct official reports of damage.
Sources said the defense system was operated by Greek military personnel.
The U.S. military began airstrikes against Iran late Thursday night and early Friday morning, marking the 13th consecutive night of attacks.
The military reportedly attacked a merchant ship that was trying to break through the blockade of an Iranian port.
The Associated Press quoted U.S. Central Command spokesman Col. Tim Hawkins as saying the U.S. military had neutralized the M/T Lavigne in the Gulf of Oman after it attempted to blockade it at least four times.
President Trump said he would soon decide whether to launch a “massive attack” against Iran.
At the same time, Pakistan is exploring ways to restart stalled peace talks between the United States and Iran, Reuters reported on Friday morning, citing three Pakistani sources.
In an interview with Axios on Thursday, the president said the proposed attack would be larger than anything seen in previous wars and that Iran “hasn’t suffered enough yet.”
— Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
