SAUDI Arabia has carried out air strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen’s Hodeidah province, marking the first direct confrontation between the two sides in years and threatening a fragile truce that had largely held since 2022.
The strikes came after the Iran-backed Houthi group announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and launched attacks on vessels linked to the kingdom.
Houthi-run media reported that at least two people were injured in the strikes, which targeted several military locations, including a naval base in Hodeidah and a military camp on Kamaran Island, according to Yemeni security sources cited by AFP.
The Saudi-led coalition said the operation was carried out in response to Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki said the Houthis had targeted merchant ships, prompting a “decisive and effective” response against military sites used by the group to threaten maritime security.
He said the military operation had been completed.
Residents in Hodeidah reported hearing several explosions, including near the city’s main port.
Security sources said Saudi strikes also hit a telecommunications facility near the eastern entrance of Hodeidah port and a naval base at Ras al-Kathib.
Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah television reported that two people were injured, including a worker in Hodeidah and a woman on Kamaran Island. The broadcaster also confirmed damage to a telecommunications building in Hodeidah.
The escalation followed Houthi warnings that the group would attack Saudi-owned vessels that refused to comply with its maritime restrictions.
Earlier this week, the Houthis claimed responsibility for attacks on two Saudi-linked vessels, with Riyadh confirming that one of the incidents occurred in the Red Sea.
Saudi authorities said the Saudi-owned vessel NCC MASA was attacked while sailing through the Red Sea, suffering minor damage but continuing its voyage.
The latest clashes come as the Red Sea becomes increasingly important for Saudi Arabia’s oil exports following disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, another key maritime route affected by regional tensions.
Data from shipping analytics firm Kpler showed that Saudi crude exports have increasingly relied on Red Sea ports, with the route accounting for a significant share of the kingdom’s overseas oil shipments in recent months.
The Houthis have been fighting Yemen’s internationally recognised government since 2014 in a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. - July 25, 2026
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