Houthis attack Saudi oil sites, coalition strikes in Yemen

A fragile ceasefire in Yemen that has held for more than four years is rapidly unraveling, with a significant escalation of hostilities between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and a Saudi-led military coalition. Over the past week, the Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabian oil installations and targeted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, prompting retaliatory airstrikes from the coalition and raising fears of a return to full-scale conflict.

The Houthis claimed attacks on facilities linked to the state oil company Aramco in the Red Sea port towns of Jizan and Yanbu. Saudi authorities issued and later retracted emergency warnings, stating the danger had passed. The rebels also declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia and claimed attacks on two Saudi-linked oil tankers in the Red Sea. In response, the Saudi-led coalition conducted airstrikes on Houthi military positions, including in the key port of Hodeidah, marking the first such strikes in years.

This escalation follows the breakdown of an informal truce that had largely paused large-scale fighting since 2022, following years of a devastating war that pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. Peace...