Houthis attack Saudi Aramco sites — with Yemen at risk of renewed war

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed attacks on Aramco facilities in the Saudi cities of Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday, as fears of a renewed war in Yemen escalated. Recent attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia's infrastructure and shipping in the Bab Al Mandeb strait have tested the kingdom and Yemen's internationally recognised government. The Houthis said their attack was launched after the kingdom struck the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah on Friday. Houthi spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree said the strikes showed Saudi Arabia's determination to continue its siege of our people and its violation of our country's sovereignty. He vowed that the group would respond to escalation with escalation. The latest escalation by the Houthis appears to be driven by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is seeking to use the Bab Al Mandeb strait as an additional pressure point against the US and its allies, Baraa Al Shaiban, a Yemeni expert at RUSI, told The National. The Houthis have rejected mediation efforts by Oman and Jordan aimed at restarting flights between Sanaa and Amman. The group has insisted on flights operated by Iran's Mahan Air between Tehran and Sanaa. The latest escalation by the Houthis is not primarily linked to the long-running dispute over Sanaa airport, but rather reflects a combination of domestic confidence and regional calculations, Ahmed Nagi, Yemen expert at the Crisis Group, told The National.