The Saudi-led coalition carried out airstrikes against Houthi military sites in Yemen’s western port city of Hodeidah on Friday, hours after the Iran-aligned group targeted a Saudi-flagged commercial vessel in the Red Sea, in the first reported exchange of fire between the two sides in years.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the operation was a proportionate military response against legitimate military targets in Hodeidah Governorate and stated the operation had ended. The coalition said it would respond uncompromisingly if Houthi hostile actions continued.
A Houthi military official, Ameen Hayyan, warned that Saudi forces had opened the gates of divine hell upon themselves. Yemen’s Houthi-run foreign ministry called the strikes the start of a phase of escalation for escalation and held Saudi Arabia responsible for resulting developments.
The escalation follows the Houthis’ July 20 naval blockade declaration against Saudi shipping, missile attacks on Abha International Airport on July 23 and the bombing of Sanaa Airport days earlier.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned on July 23 that Iran would face major military consequences if the Houthis continued targeting Saudi shipping, escalating pressure on Tehran as regional tensions widened.
