Houthis Claim Missile Strike on Saudi Arabia – Tensions Flare Over Gulf Blockades

Sun Sep 06 2026 12:46:24 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The Iranian‑backed Houthis say they hit Saudi territory after Riyadh struck Houthi sites, sparking new geopolitical drama and oil price jitters.

Early Saturday, the houthis claimed a missile attack on Saudi Arabia’s Jizan province amid fresh air strikes on Hodeida. The move comes after a two‑week lull in US‑Iran military actions. US forces in the Gulf of Oman disabled a tanker attempting to breach the Iranian blockade. Oil markets spiked above $100 a barrel with fears of a wider Red Sea conflict, before falling again after Chinese supertankers passed Bab el‑Mandeb. Diplomats are convening in London, while the US continues talks with Iran to reinstate a ceasefire.

Houthis Claim Missile Strike on Saudi Arabia – Tensions Flare Over Gulf Blockades

Students rally in Sana'a supporting the Houthi naval blockade

The Iranian‑backed Houthi movement said early Saturday that a "Yemeni missile strike" set off fires in Saudi Arabia’s Jizan province, after Riyadh launched air attacks on Houthi‑linked targets in the port city of Hodeida.

Had Saudi forces struck Houtey assets for a third consecutive night, the Houthis vowed retaliation. The exchange comes after a lull in direct US–Iran strikes for the first time in two weeks.

At the same time, US forces in the Gulf of Oman disabled a tanker trying to run a blockade on Iranian ports. The incident was described by a Central Command spokesman as a decisive enforcement of the blockade and the second commercial ship neutralised this month.

Global oil markets reacted quickly: prices rose to over $100 a barrel as fears of wider conflict in the Red Sea grew, but fell again after the successful passage of two Chinese‑chartered supertankers through Bab el‑Mandeb.

Diplomats are already planning a London conference on the Strait of Hormuz, and the US has been holding talks with Iran about an earlier memorandum of understanding to pause hostilities.

For younger readers, this saga illustrates how a single missile launch can ripple across borders, affect global oil prices, and prompt drone strikes, all while leaving citizens and students in the region watching from home.