The Middle East is witnessing a dangerous widening of conflict after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels launched a missile attack on Saudi Arabia over the weekend, just as the United States completed its 13th consecutive night of strikes against Iran.
Early on Saturday, the Houthis' Ansarollah media announced on Telegram that a "Yemeni missile strike" had sparked fires in the Saudi city of Jizan, located on the Red Sea coast.
Saudi authorities responded by issuing emergency alerts for the province. Social media footage suggested the Aramco oil refinery in the city may have been hit.
The attack came after Riyadh launched airstrikes on Houthi targets in the Yemeni port city of Hodeida and a nearby island on Friday, following the rebels' announcement of a maritime blockade in the Red Sea.
The Houthis condemned the Saudi strikes, posting on Telegram: "The Saudi enemy's targeting of civilian facilities in Hodeida and Kamaran island constitutes a dangerous escalation," and warning that "these recent crimes will not go unanswered." Saudi authorities had not immediately responded to the missile attack at the time of reporting.
US Presses On With Iran Strikes
Meanwhile, the US military did not announce fresh strikes on Iran on Saturday, breaking a pattern of 13 straight nights of attacks on the country. During this period, Iran has also launched drone strikes on US military facilities and bases across the Middle East in retaliation.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, President Donald Trump continued to threaten further attacks while insisting that negotiations with Tehran were ongoing. "We are talking to them. I think they're being serious. I think... they are being by far the most serious that we've seen them, but that doesn't mean we get there," he said.
When asked about his exit strategy for the Iran war, Trump outlined two paths: "There's a military exit where we just keep going just the way we are, and we can even make it a heavier dose, and it's knocking out everything they have. Or there's a smarter strategy that you make a deal." But he quickly added: "We're locked and loaded. We're ready to go."
US Disables Tanker in Gulf of Oman
In a separate incident in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, the US military said it had fired on and disabled a tanker ship in the Gulf of Oman that was attempting to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports. The vessel is the second commercial ship the US has disabled since it reimposed its blockade earlier this month.
"We disabled the tanker after the crew attempted to run the blockade at least four times prior," said Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesman for US Central Command. "The crew was repeatedly warned, didn't comply, and US forces on scene disabled the ship after firing into its engine room. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran."
Oil Prices Swing on Shipping Fears
Growing concern over new threats to shipping in the Red Sea from Yemen's Houthis helped push the price of crude oil back over $100 a barrel this week the highest level since May.
However, prices dropped on Friday afternoon, with Brent futures down more than $4 to a little over $96 after two Chinese-chartered supertankers successfully passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to Reuters.
Diplomatic Efforts Continue
Earlier on Friday, a delegation from Oman arrived in Iran's capital Tehran for talks on the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported. Oman controls the strait's southern coastline, giving it a strategic position in any negotiations.
The US and UK are also set to hold a conference in London next week to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, the BBC understands. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine will attend the conference, which was first reported by Axios.
The meetings come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet the US president at the White House on Tuesday.
Fragile Truce Collapsed
In June, the US and Iran had agreed on a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding to halt military operations and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as well as to reach an agreement to end the war over the following 60 days.
But three weeks after it was signed, Trump declared the ceasefire "over" after Iranian attacks on ships in the strait, followed by US strikes in response.
The region now appears locked in a cycle of retaliation, with no clear end in sight despite ongoing diplomatic efforts behind the scenes.
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