US Military Silent Amid Houthi-Saudi Strikes in Red Sea

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia on Saturday, targeting facilities belonging to Aramco, the world's largest oil company, in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan. This action followed Saudi airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea city of Hodeida. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesman, announced the attack in a prerecorded statement. Saudi Arabia's civil defense confirmed alerts in both cities early Saturday but has not provided further comment. Notably, there were no reported U.S. strikes overnight in Iran, marking a departure from nearly two weeks of consecutive U.S. attacks, though tensions remain high between the U.S. and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.

The escalating conflict in the Red Sea poses a significant threat to global shipping. The Houthis have previously stated their intention to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping. This strait is a critical chokepoint, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and approximately 12% of global trade, including a quarter of container traffic, transits through it. Earlier in the week, the Houthis targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, prompting the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen to respond with strikes on Hodeida.

The Saudi-led coalition stated that its strikes late Friday hit "legitimate military targets" in Hodeida province, which they claim were "linked to threats to commercial vessels in the Red Sea." They denied hitting the city's port. However, Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesman for the Houthi-run health ministry, reported that strikes on the city's port and the state-run telecommunications corporation injured two people. The U.S. military's silence on its airstrikes represents a shift in its reporting amidst these regional escalations.