Iran-Saudi Conflict Escalates as Houthis Attack Oil Facilities

The conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia has escalated over the weekend, with Yemen's Houthi rebels launching attacks on Saudi oil facilities in Jizan and Yanbu. The US military has paused its strikes against Iran, citing concerns about widening the conflict, exhausting US military stockpiles, and straining relations with Gulf allies.

The Houthis' attacks on Saudi oil sites have raised fears of a return to Yemen's long-running civil war, which had remained largely paused under a ceasefire agreement since 2022. The truce broke down this month after the Houthis became directly involved in the wider regional conflict following US and Israeli strikes against Iran.

The Houthi leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, has warned that Saudi oil facilities could become targets, while Iran's Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of attacking an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, claiming one sailor was killed and another injured.