Saudi Arabia intercepts six missiles as Houthi attacks raise Red Sea fears

Saudi Arabia said on Thursday that it had intercepted six ballistic missiles aimed at the Red Sea port of Yanbu and the south-western city of Taif, as fighting with Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen escalated.

The Houthis later said they had fired dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia's south-western Jazan province. The latest launches came after recent attempted attacks on the kingdom, including on the capital Riyadh, and have added to concerns over shipping in the Red Sea.

The announcement was made by Saudi Maj Gen Turki al-Malki, the military spokesperson who also speaks for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis. His statement followed alerts from Saudi civil defence authorities, which later said the danger had passed.

The fighting near the Red Sea shipping corridor has alarmed global markets as the Houthis pursue what Saudi Arabia says is a blockade of the kingdom, the world's top oil exporter, with Iranian support. The new launches also came as Yemen's internationally recognised government prepared to address the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

The situation in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, has worsened as fighting backed by regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia has pushed the country back into civil war after four years of relative calm. More than 125,000 people have fled the fighting as the humanitarian crisis has deepened.

While Saudi Arabia has sought military support from allies, the United States, its key partner, has said it has been in contact with the Houthis and indicated that it would sit this fight out. The rebels have said they are targeting only Saudi Arabia and that commercial shipping in the Red Sea faces no threat, though they have warned other countries against stepping in.

The Houthis' position at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at the southern end of the Red Sea, after advancing down Yemen's coast this month, has given them better surveillance of ships passing through one of the world's busiest waterways. For Iran, the Houthis' ally, the added pressure on shipping comes as it has asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz off its coast since the US and Israel attacked it in February.

In summary, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted missiles bound for Yanbu and Taif, while the Houthis claimed fresh strikes on Jazan, underscoring a wider escalation that is deepening Yemen's crisis and raising concerns over security in key regional shipping lanes.

With PTI Inputs

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