Houthi leader Abdul Malik al‑Houthi warns Saudi oil sites and airports of retaliation

Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdul Malik al‑Houthi told television that all Saudi oil, port and airport facilities will be targeted with missiles and drones if Riyadh expands its involvement in the war. The warning followed a Houthi missile strike on Saudi territory after the group accused Saudi forces of bombing Sanaa’s airport, an act that broke a four‑year truce. Al‑Houthi repeated the “Sanaa airport versus Riyadh airport” equation and cited past attacks on Saudi oil plants in 2019 and 2022. Iranian officials are said to have urged the Houthis to prepare to close the Bab al‑Mandeb strait if the United States attacks Iranian power infrastructure, raising concerns about disruption of Red‑Sea shipping and global energy markets. Saudi Arabia later announced that alerts in the Al‑Kharj and Yanbu areas had passed. Pakistan warned that the escalation could pull it into the Saudi‑Iran‑U.S. rivalry because of its mutual defence pact with Riyadh and the strategic importance of the nearby shipping routes.