Houthis Launch Major Attack on Saudi Arabia
The Houthis launched a major attack on Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, wounding over 70 people and setting oil installations ablaze in four cities. The attacks were carried out using drones and missiles against targets belonging to Saudi Arabia's state oil company in Khamis Mushait, Abha, Najran, and Jazan.
The Houthis claimed they had launched a broad operation deep into Saudi territory, while Saudi authorities described blazes at the sites and said women and children were among the wounded. The attacks are part of a wider war in the Gulf between Iran and the US, with each side trying to outmaneuver the other through economic pressure.
The global oil price surged above $99 a barrel following the attacks, as Brent crude prices rose by over 2%. The Houthi attacks on southwestern Saudi Arabia have the potential to disrupt Middle East energy supplies beyond the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.