CAIRO
Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis exchanged fresh strikes across their border on Thursday and Yemenis took to boats in the Red Sea to escape fighting, as the spreading Middle East war created new threats to global oil supplies.
Houthi-controlled television reported Saudi airstrikes in Hajjah province close to the Saudi border near the Red Sea coast, and the vicinity of Taiz further inland to the south. Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defence said a Yemeni living in Saudi Arabia had been killed by debris from a drone intercepted over the western city of Taif, the first death Riyadh has announced in repeated Houthi attacks since fighting escalated last week. It has previously said more than 80 people were wounded.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker caught fire after being hit while attempting what it called an ‘illegal passage’ through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported. The tanker came to a halt after the fire, the Guards Navy said.
The spread of the war to Yemen and Saudi Arabia has raised new concerns about oil supplies by jeopardising the main alternative Red Sea route for Gulf exports while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained.
US President Donald Trump has rebuffed pleas from the Saudis for military support to fight the Houthis, who agreed a ceasefire with the United States last year after Washington bombed the group for two months.
The president faces the prospect of political losses for his Republican Party in November’s midterm elections, partly because of higher energy prices since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February. Trump said on Thursday he is approaching a critical juncture over whether to restart massive attacks on Iran.