The Houthi attacks injured 73 people and triggered fires at oil facilities in southern Saudi Arabia, marking a significant expansion of the six-month-old conflict.
The Houthis said they had launched a large-scale operation deep inside Saudi territory, targeting a Saudi airbase in Khamis Mushait and facilities belonging to Saudi state oil company assets in Abha, Najran and Jazan.
Satellite imagery from NASA showed thick black smoke over the Jazan refinery and white smoke rising from an oil distribution facility in Abha.
Saudi authorities confirmed fires at the targeted locations and said women and children were among the 73 people injured. The reported casualty figures suggest the attacks could be among the largest against Saudi Arabia since the United States and Israel began their war against Iran in February.
US targets Iranian oil tankers
The US military’s Central Command said it destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers on Tuesday, marking a resumption of American attacks on Iranian vessels after a two-day pause.
CENTCOM said four vessels were struck in the Gulf of Oman and another near Kharg Island, a major Iranian oil hub. The US military said crews were warned to abandon the ships before the vessels were attacked and rendered inoperable.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran had repeatedly attempted to target American naval vessels and warned that further attacks would result in additional Iranian tankers being targeted.
Iran subsequently threatened to strike oil tankers at ports in Kuwait and Bahrain, according to Iranian state media.
A maritime security source also reported that a liquefied natural gas tanker was damaged at the Emirati port of Khor Fakkan, although it was not immediately clear who was responsible.
Iran reports attack on US base
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it launched a ballistic missile attack on a US military base near Al Azraq in eastern Jordan in retaliation for the US strikes on Iranian oil carriers.
There was no immediate confirmation of the reported attack from Jordanian authorities or the US military.
CENTCOM said the Iranian strikes followed two attempts by the IRGC to target a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles over the previous two days.
After a period of relative calm in August, the United States and Iran have resumed exchanging fire, pushing benchmark Brent crude prices to their highest level since July 23. Prices, however, remained below $100 a barrel despite the disruption to energy supplies.
Houthis widen regional front
The Houthi attacks could increase the economic impact of the war by threatening energy supplies beyond the Strait of Hormuz, the key maritime route for global oil and gas shipments.
The Houthis control much of Yemen’s populated territory, including the capital Sanaa, and have previously disrupted shipping around the Red Sea and the entrance to the Arabian Peninsula.
Saudi Arabia has led an Arab coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen for more than a decade. Although the conflict had eased in recent years, the ceasefire has since broken down.
Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces based in the south have recently launched a broad offensive against Houthi-held territory after the Houthis attempted to advance towards government positions. The internationally recognised government says it aims to retake territory controlled by the group.
Economic pressure intensifies
The wider conflict has increasingly become an economic confrontation between Washington and Tehran, with both sides using blockades and pressure on energy supplies in an attempt to force the other to retreat.
The US Treasury announced new aviation-related sanctions on Tuesday, saying the measures were intended to further restrict Iran’s airline sector.
Washington is also attempting to increase global oil supplies by facilitating shipping through the Strait of Hormuz while restricting Iranian oil exports through a blockade.
CENTCOM said the tankers destroyed on Tuesday were part of a shadow network used to finance Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and its regional allies.
Iran supports what it calls an “Axis of Resistance”, which includes Hamas, Hezbollah, Iraqi Shia militias and the Houthis.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also claimed to have captured a US submersible near the Strait of Hormuz. A US official said an underwater military drone had malfunctioned more than a day earlier and did not carry classified sonar or radar equipment.
The latest developments have raised concerns that the conflict could spread further across the Gulf, threatening energy infrastructure, commercial shipping and regional US military facilities.
