July 25, 2026, 06:14July 25, 2026, 06:14
The conflict in the Middle East is expanding. After airstrikes by a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthi militia vowed retaliation against the neighboring kingdom. The attacks on civilian targets “will not go unpunished,” quoted the Saba news agency, which is controlled by the Shiite militia, as saying on the Telegram platform. The deterrent formula is clear: escalation will be met with escalation.
Houthi members stand guard during a demonstration against Saudi Arabia in Sanaa, Yemen, July 17, 2026.Image: keystone
According to the Iranian broadcaster Press TV, counterattacks by the Houthis followed in several areas of Saudi Arabia during the night. Accordingly, there were, among other things, explosions in the port city of Yanbu. The coastal town of Jizan is also said to have been attacked with rockets. A short time later, the Saudi Arabian Civil Defense announced on Platform X that the danger in Yanbu was over.
New front in the Middle East conflict
The escalation marks a new front in the Middle East conflict that has gripped the region since US-Israeli attacks on Iran began in February. In addition to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Tehran, the situation in the Red Sea is now also getting worse. In response to renewed shelling of a Saudi-flagged ship in the Red Sea, the Saudi coalition attacked “legitimate military targets” in the Yemeni province of Hodeidah, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki wrote on X. Houthi-affiliated media reported attacks in the port city of the same name, Hudaida.
Facilities of the state telecommunications company in Hodeidah were hit, as was the island of Kamaran. Other reports also spoke of attacks on the port, which Al-Maliki denied. However, residents reported to the German Press Agency about several air raids and explosions in the area around the port. It was said that flames and thick clouds of smoke rose up. A Houthi-affiliated television station described the attacks as “Saudi aggression.”
Another attack on a ship in the Red Sea
The hull of the Saudi-flagged ship “NCC Masa” had previously been slightly damaged in the attack in the Red Sea, as the Saudi state news agency SPA reported, citing a source in the transport authority. The Saudi Arabian oil tanker “Encelia” had already been attacked on Thursday night. The Shiite Houthis claimed two attacks on Sunni kingdom oil tankers.
The Saudi coalition accuses the militia of “maritime terrorism”. The conflict between the Houthis and the regional power had recently escalated again. The Houthis announced a “blockade” on Saudi Arabian ships on Monday – around a week after a new confrontation with the neighboring kingdom, with which the militia has been at war for more than ten years. The militia initially did not comment on the renewed attack on a ship.
By imposing a blockade on Saudi Arabian oil deliveries through the Red Sea and shelling ships, the Houthis want to practically cut off a second sea route: the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and, along with the Strait of Hormuz, is one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
While the Strait of Hormuz lies in the east of the Arabian Peninsula, where there have been repeated attacks on oil tankers and other merchant ships during the Iran War, Bab al-Mandab (“Gate of Tears” or “Gate of Lamentations”) is in the west of the peninsula. The sea route from Asia to Europe via the Suez Canal runs through this strait. It has become increasingly important as a bypass route for the Strait of Hormuz, for example for Saudi Arabian oil exports.
Concern about expanding the Iran war
In Yemen, the Houthi militia mainly controls the north and large parts of the western coast of the Red Sea. From there it can attack ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait with its rockets, drones and cruise missiles. There is therefore concern that if the Iran war between Washington and Tehran escalates further, the Houthis could bring shipping traffic through the Suez Canal to a standstill with their attacks.
The militia accused Saudi Arabia earlier this month of attacking the airport in the capital Sanaa to prevent the arrival of an Iranian plane. Saudi Arabia said the militia later attacked the kingdom. The attacks were the first major fighting between the Saudis and the Houthis since a ceasefire came into force in 2022.
So far no political solution in sight
In 2014, the Shiite militia gradually overran the north and other parts of Yemen and plunged the poor country on the Arabian Peninsula into civil war. Saudi Arabia is fighting the militia alongside Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Efforts to find a political solution have so far failed.
If there are new heavy fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, the Iran war could spread to the Saudi Arabian kingdom. This in turn would possibly lead to Pakistan – which has so far acted as a mediator in the Iran war – also being drawn into the conflict. Pakistan has had a military alliance with Saudi Arabia since last year.
US President Donald Trump threatened the Houthis and their ally Iran with retaliation on Thursday if the militia attacked ships again. “If they do this again, the United States will hold Iran accountable because the Houthis are acting as Iran’s proxies,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. He announced “severe military punishments against Iran and of course against the Houthis themselves.”
Trump: We are continuing to talk to Iran
A day later, Trump told reporters at the White House that the US was currently continuing talks with Iran. He left it open whether the communication channels were direct or communicated through intermediaries. You talk to different people, Trump simply said.
According to information from the Wall Street Journal, the US President has become increasingly skeptical in recent days as to whether negotiations with Iran can really lead to lasting peace. The US newspaper quoted a senior administration official as saying that Trump believes Iran only understands military force. The president sees few good options other than continuing the air strikes.
The USA started the war together with Israel at the end of February, during which considerable tensions between the allies emerged. On Tuesday, Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. (sda/dpa)