Houthis Fire Missiles at Saudi Arabia Amid Escalation Over Yemen's Red Sea City

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in response to airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea city of Hodeida. The Houthis' military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, said the attack targeted facilities in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan that belong to Aramco, the world's largest oil company.

The escalation over vital shipping routes in the Middle East comes as the United States and Iran vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis have threatened to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping if their demands are not met. The strait, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a crucial shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

The conflict has already had far-reaching consequences, with over 7,000 people killed in Lebanon since Iran-backed Hezbollah militants fired at Israel in support of the Islamic Republic. The war has also killed more than 3,400 people in Iran and injured two people in Hodeida during the recent airstrikes.