Escalating Tensions in Middle East as Saudi Arabia Faces Houthi Attacks and Israeli Strikes in Gaza

Saudi Arabia reported renewed attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, with two airports in Najran and Jizan sustaining damage and three people sustaining light injuries. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strikes and threatened a third airport, Abha International, though this could not be independently confirmed. The Saudi-led coalition intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile aimed at Khamis Mushait, a city hosting a major military base.

Fighting in Yemen persisted near the strategic town of Dhubab, which the internationally recognized Yemeni government had previously claimed to have retaken. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a military campaign to reclaim Houthi-controlled territory near the Red Sea to secure oil export routes.

In Gaza City, Israeli airstrikes killed two people, with Israel’s military stating it targeted fighters. The strikes occurred nearly a year after a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, which began with a deadly Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Since the ceasefire, over 1,460 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of potential Hamas attacks ahead of the country’s upcoming elections, though he provided no evidence. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers allegedly attacked a Palestinian photojournalist and others during the olive harvest season in the West Bank. In east Jerusalem, Israeli authorities demolished a five-story building, citing unpermitted construction.