Houthi Rebel Strike on Saudi Target Sparks Regional Escalation
Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi rebels have exchanged fire in the latest escalation of tensions in the region. The Houthis announced a maritime blockade and attacked Saudi ships, prompting Saudi airstrikes on Houthi targets in the port city of Hodeida and a nearby island.
The US military has also intervened, firing on and disabling a tanker ship in the Gulf of Oman that was attempting to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports. The vessel is the second commercial ship the US has disabled since it reimposed its blockade earlier this month.
The conflict has pushed up oil prices, with crude hitting over $100 a barrel for the first time since May. However, prices dropped after two Chinese-chartered supertankers successfully passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.