Middle East Conflict Widens With New Strikes

Regional conflict in the Middle East intensified on Tuesday as Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched a wave of drone and missile attacks on four cities in southern Saudi Arabia, wounding 73 civilians and igniting oil installations. Simultaneously, U.S. forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers in the Gulf of Oman in response to Iran targeting a U.S. Navy warship, marking a resumption of American strikes on Iran after a brief pause. Iran also launched missiles toward a military installation in Jordan used by U.S. forces, though Jordanian authorities reported that most incoming projectiles were intercepted with no casualties. The Houthi attacks, described as a major expansion of the six-month-old war, targeted civilian and economic sites in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran. Saudi authorities confirmed fires at energy facilities, including infrastructure linked to Saudi Aramco, and stated that women and children were among the injured. The coalition vowed to take necessary measures to deter the Houthi militia and defend the kingdom's sovereignty.