Iran war: Saudi-led coalition attacks Yemen's Hodeida

Saudi-led coalition strikes the Houthi-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida. The attacks come after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed several strikes on Saudi oil tankers as part of its Red Sea blockade. The Houthis claim Bab al-Mandeb Strait is not closed, saying the blockade only targets Saudi ships.

US forces have "disabled" a merchant vessel that attempted to circumvent the US blockade on Iranian ports, military sources told the Associated Press news agency. US Central Command spokesperson Tim Hawkins told AP that the M/T Lavine was "disabled" in the Gulf of Oman on Friday, after the vessel had reportedly attempted to circumvent the US blockade four times. Hawkins claimed the ship did not comply with US commands after it was warned. Hawkins said US forces then fired into the ship's engine room. It's the second commercial vessel attacked by the US since the military reimposed its blockade on Iranian ports on July 14.

The Saudi-led coalition confirmed attacks on Hodeida in comments carried by Saudi broadcaster Al-Arabiya. The coalition, however, said it did not strike the city's port and had only targeted "military" sites. "All ports in the governorate remain open to shipping," the statement said. "The coalition adds that the destroyed targets were linked to threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea."

Saudi Arabia has attacked Hodeida, according to media aligned with the Houthi rebel movement in Yemen. The Houthis control the port city. "A Saudi aggression comprising a series of airstrikes hit facilities belonging to the telecommunications authority," the Houthi-aligned Al-Masirah TV channel reported. In addition, the Saudis reportedly struck Kamaran Island in the Red Sea, which the Houthis also control.

Yemen's Houthi rebel group has denied that it is completely closing the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. "There is no closure of Bab al-Mandeb as some are suggesting," Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdusalam posted on X. He said the group is just engaged in a "naval blockade targeting only the Saudi side."

The US and UK are set to hold a conference in London next week on the Strait of Hormuz, with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine attending.