Houthis counterstrike Saudia Arabia in escalation over U.S.-Iran feud for Strait of Hormuz

CAIRO — Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said Saturday they fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeida, marking another escalation over vital shipping lanes as the United States and Iran compete for influence over the Strait of Hormuz. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ subject spokesman, said in a prerecorded connection that the onslaught targeted facilities successful the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan that beryllium to Aramco, the world’s largest lipid company. Saudi Arabia’s civilian defence said alerts sounded multiple times early Saturday in both cities, but the Kingdom has not offered further comment. There were no reported strikes overnight in Iran, an apparent break from roughly two weeks of consecutive nights of U.S. attacks, though hostility remains high following a recent escalation between the two countries over the Strait of Hormuz. Red Sea escalation further threatens global shipping The rising tension in the Red Sea threatens to choke worldwide shipping because the rebels have said they would close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi‑linked traffic. That strait, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a critical shipping chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Around 12% of world trade, including a 4th of its instrumentality traffic, passes through the narrows. The Houthis targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea this week. In response, the Saudi‑led coalition struck the Yemeni port city of Hodeida early Saturday. The coalition said it did not hit the port but struck “legitimate subject targets” in Hodeida province, which “were linked to threats to commercialized vessels successful the Red Sea.” Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesperson for the Houthi‑run health ministry, said the strikes injured 2 people. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, called for “diplomacy and dialogue” to resolve the Yemen conflict without “military confrontations” in an interview published Saturday in the state‑run Iranian newspaper. No new strikes overnight in Iran, but hostility remains high “Iran had a