Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, have reported launching a rocket strike against Saudi Arabia. This follows a recent series of airstrikes conducted by Riyadh against the militant group’s positions in Yemen last Friday.
Early Saturday morning, the Houthi-controlled media outlet Ansarollah announced that a “Yemeni rocket attack” had ignited fires in the Saudi city of Dschisan. Saudi authorities had previously issued emergency warnings for the region. The Houthis had announced their retaliation after Saudi Arabia had conducted airstrikes on their installations in the Yemeni port city of Hodeida and on a nearby island.
Meanwhile, there was a brief period of quiet in the wider region, marking the first two weeks without reports of air strikes from either the United States or Iran overnight. The US military did not announce any new attacks targeting Iran for Saturday, following 13 consecutive nights of attacks. During this period, Iran had, in turn, carried out drone strikes against US facilities and bases across the Middle East.
Prior to these events, a delegation from Oman arrived in Tehran for talks concerning the Strait of Hormuz, according to the state Iranian news agency Irna. Oman maintains control over the southern coast of the strategically vital strait.
At the White House, US President Donald Trump reiterated threats of further strikes to journalists, while simultaneously stating that negotiations were ongoing. He commented, “We are talking to them. I think they are serious. They are by far the most serious since we have been dealing with them-but that doesn’t mean we are going to achieve our goals.” When pressed on his exit strategy for the Iran conflict, he outlined two possibilities: “There’s a military exit, where we continue as before-with an even tougher stance that destroys everything they have. Or there is a smarter strategy: making a deal.” However, he added, “We are ready to fire. We can strike at any time.”
Separately, the US military recently reported shooting and disabling a tanker in the Gulf of Oman within the Strait of Hormuz. The ship reportedly attempted to circumvent the US blockade on Iranian ports. This is already the second vessel to be incapacitated by the US since the blockade was reinstated at the beginning of the month.
Reports indicate that the United States and Great Britain are planning a conference next week in London to discuss the Strait of Hormuz, with US Defense Minister Pete Hegseth and Chairman of Staff Dan Caine expected to attend.
