Iran war: Houthis vow response to Saudi strikes on Hodeida

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have accused Saudi Arabia of targeting civilian infrastructure, amid an escalating flare-up with Riyadh. Saudi Arabia on Friday hit the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida with strikes, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said, in response to the rebel group attacking Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea as part of a maritime blockade. 'The Saudi enemy's targeting of civilian facilities in Hodeida and Kamaran island constitutes a dangerous escalation,' the Houthis' Ansarollah media posted on Telegram. 'We affirm that these recent crimes will not go unanswered.' The Saudi-led coalition claimed that it hit 'Houthi military sites' and destroyed targets that were posing a threat to commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Riyadh said it would do everything necessary to protect its ships, warning the Houthis that if they continued 'hostile acts then there will be no hesitation in responding.' An air defense system operated by Greek military personnel in Saudi Arabia intercepted two ballistic missiles launched from Yemen on Saturday. The missiles were targeting oil refineries in Yanbu. The war has now embroiled another one of the world's vital energy shipping corridors — the Red Sea. After the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthis have now declared a naval blockade of Saudi vessels in the Red Sea. The UN is warning against escalations, saying the Gulf region is 'teetering on the edge of the unimaginable.'