Houthis Strike Saudi Oil Installations, Raising Fears of Global Energy Disruption

On July 25, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants fired on Saudi oil installations in two ports on the Red Sea coast. The attacks targeted sites belonging to Saudi state oil giant Aramco in Jizan and Yanbu.

The US held back from launching air strikes on Iran itself for the first night in two weeks, despite a streak of 13 nights of escalating strikes since an interim deal to end hostilities collapsed.

There were no reports of attacks from Iran on its Gulf neighbours, but the Houthi strikes signalled that the war could be spreading to a second major shipping route and reigniting Yemen's own civil war.

The conflict has disrupted energy supplies from the Gulf, contributing to a sharp rise in global oil prices. Brent crude spiked above $100 a barrel for the first time since May.