The Saudi-led coalition said on Friday that it had launched strikes on Houthi rebel targets in Yemen's Hodeidah, after the Iran-backed group attacked another Saudi ship in the Red Sea.
"We carried out a proportionate military response against legitimate military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist militia in Hodeidah governorate," coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki Al Malki said.
A Houthi military official said earlier that Saudi forces had attacked the port of Hodeidah and warned the kingdom it would face retaliation.
"A Saudi aggression is now targeting the port of Hodeidah," Ameen Hayyan, director of the spokesman's office of the Houthi military, said in a statement. "They have opened the gates of divine hell upon themselves."
The strikes in Hodeidah came shortly after a Saudi-flagged commercial ship was attacked while sailing in the Red Sea earlier on Friday, causing minor damage to its hull.
Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Transport said the vessel, NCC Masa, continued its voyage after inspections confirmed the safety of the ship and its crew. The authority condemned attacks on commercial shipping, describing them as a breach of international laws and norms governing the safety of merchant vessels and their crews.
Houthi media reported a series of attacks on facilities belonging to the Telecommunications Corporation in Hodeidah city. "Saudi aggression targets Hodeidah province," the Houthi security media centre and Al Masirah TV said.
The Houthis did not provide details of casualties or damage after the strikes. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment.
The latest developments come amid rising tensions in the Red Sea region after Houthi threats against Saudi-linked shipping and an escalation of hostilities involving Iran and its regional allies.
The Houthis last week announced a “maritime embargo” against Saudi Arabia, sparking fears of further disruption to Gulf trade. The move, which the Houthis described as a response to a Saudi blockade of Yemen, threatens to worsen the regional conflict and shut off a critical maritime route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, another Saudi-owned tanker, Encelia, was attacked in the Red Sea. The incident caused a fire on the bow of the ship, but all crew members were safe, the General Transport Authority said.
The Iran-backed Houthis seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, prompting an intervention by a Saudi-led coalition the following year, at the request of Yemen's internationally recognised government.
On July 23, the Houthis carried out an attack on Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport using ballistic missiles and drones. The rebels said it was in response to “criminal Saudi aggression”.
The attack came after strikes on Yemen's international airport in Sanaa. While the government claimed responsibility, the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia.
On July 3, the Houthis said their forces confronted Saudi “warplanes” that they said attempted to prevent an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at the airport.
An informal truce between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed rebels took effect in April 2022, following Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure. The relative calm continued amid Oman-led mediation and dialogue, as well as the work of UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg to advance the peace process.
