Yemen’s Houthis reportedly seize strategic Red Sea port of Mokha

On Tuesday, the Houthis launched dozens of drones and missiles at southern Saudi Arabia, injuring 73 civilians and causing fires at several oil facilities that led to a temporary halt in operations, according to Saudi authorities.

The Houthis said they were retaliating for dozens of Saudi air strikes on their territory in north-western Yemen in recent days, including one on a prison in the town of Hazm in Jawf province that local officials said killed at least 23 civilians.

A Saudi-led coalition of Arab states has backed Yemen’s government against the Houthis in the country’s devastating civil war for more than a decade.

A four-year-old informal ceasefire began to unravel in July, when the Houthis announced a “maritime embargo” against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea.

The Houthis said they were retaliating for a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in their territory, as well as an air strike on Sanaa airport that they blamed on the kingdom.

The Red Sea has become crucial for Saudi Arabia’s oil exports since the start of the US and Israel’s war with Iran, which has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.