Saudi Arabia: Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched a fresh wave of missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia on Monday, intensifying pressure on the kingdom’s oil export infrastructure as fighting along the Red Sea coast escalates and diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz remain stalled.
The Houthis said they fired dozens of missiles and drones at a military airbase in Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia, targeting aircraft hangars, radar systems, runways and ammunition depots. The group said the attacks were retaliation for Saudi airstrikes against Houthi positions in Yemen.
Saudi authorities issued emergency alerts in Khamis Mushait and three other southern cities. The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said 13 civilians were wounded in the Houthi attacks.
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The escalation comes as Houthi forces expand their presence along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline. Yemeni officials said the group has maintained effective control over almost the entire western coast and recently seized Perim Island, a strategically important location at the entrance to the Red Sea.
Saudi and Yemeni forces have responded with intensified airstrikes against Houthi targets, including positions around the historic Red Sea port of Mocha.
The latest fighting has created an additional threat to Saudi Arabia’s oil exports after an aerial attack last week knocked the kingdom’s east-west oil pipeline offline. Riyadh blamed the attack on Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq.
Saudi Arabia built the 1,200-kilometre pipeline in the 1980s to provide an alternative export route to the Red Sea and reduce its dependence on the Strait of Hormuz during periods of regional conflict.
Traders said a prolonged shutdown could remove as much as 4% of global oil supply from the market while the Strait of Hormuz remains largely blocked. Saudi authorities have not announced when the pipeline will resume operations.
Oil prices rose more than 4% on Monday before settling around 1% higher, reflecting growing concerns over disruptions to energy supplies from the region.
The renewed Yemen conflict also poses a challenge for the United States. Three sources told Reuters that Washington has so far resisted Saudi requests for direct military intervention, providing intelligence support instead.
US President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi state media reported that the crown prince also met US regional commander Admiral Brad Cooper in Jeddah on Monday.
Saudi Arabia has led a coalition against the Houthis since 2015, but fighting had largely subsided following a ceasefire in recent years. The conflict reignited this month as Houthi forces advanced against forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
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Diplomatic efforts to contain the wider regional conflict have also suffered a setback.
Oman was scheduled to host talks between Iran and Gulf states on Monday aimed at negotiating the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The meeting was postponed, with Iran saying the delay came at Saudi Arabia’s request.
The Strait, through which around 20% of global oil exports passed before the war, has remained largely closed since the conflict began on February 28.
Trump again said Iran was interested in reaching a quick agreement. Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei rejected the message, saying Tehran would not enter negotiations until its conditions were met.
Maritime security also remained uncertain after conflicting reports emerged over damage to the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the tanker was struck by sea mines after entering a prohibited area south of the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command rejected that account, saying the vessel had been struck by an Iranian missile the previous month and rendered inoperable.
The International Maritime Organization confirmed that El Gaia was damaged on Saturday and that two seafarers were missing, but did not determine how the damage occurred. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the conflicting accounts with the vessel’s owners in Dubai.
The Revolutionary Guards said the Strait of Hormuz remained closed and under their control.
With Houthi forces expanding along the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia’s alternative oil pipeline offline and negotiations over Hormuz delayed, the conflict is creating multiple points of pressure on one of the world’s most strategically important energy corridors.