Yemen escalation threatens Red Sea shipping and global energy chokepoint
Yemen escalation threatens Red Sea shipping and global energy chokepoint
A government airstrike on Sanaa airport and Houthi missile retaliation have ended a four-year truce, raising risks to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
- Yemen's internationally recognised government bombed the runway at Sanaa International Airport on Monday to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing.
- Houthi rebels fired ballistic missiles towards Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport, which the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted.
- Houthi officials said the Iranian aircraft was transporting medical patients and a delegation from the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
- Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait carries 4.0 million barrels per day of oil trade as of 2024.
Latest developments
- Dozens have been killed in the worst violence since a 2022 truce, with both sides mobilizing fighters.
- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly requested US military support against the Houthis.
- An Iranian plane that landed in Sanaa may have been carrying weapons, marking the first such public flight from Tehran in over a decade.
What happened since
Saudi oil exports via Yanbu port surge amid Houthi threat
Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea port of Yanbu have neared record levels as regional tensions escalate.
- Saudi Aramco has increased reliance on the Yanbu terminal since the Iran war closed the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.
- Oil shipments from Yanbu reached 4.7 million barrels per day by July 13, up from 3.36 million on July 10, shipping data shows.
- A shipping sector source said Yanbu has reached maximum capacity and warned Houthis may open another front.
- Houthis have launched missiles toward Saudi Arabia after accusing Riyadh of bombing an airport under their control.
Coverage
Read the original reportingThis brief was compiled from 2 outlets, 1 reporting in Arabic and 1 in English, over 9 hours of coverage. Each is listed below with the headline it led on, so you can compare them yourself.
Why Yemen’s long ‘no war, no peace’ deadlock may be ending
بين التهدئة والتصعيد: أبرز محطات العلاقة بين السعودية والحوثيين - BBC News عربي
Leading Houthi threatens ‘siege’ on Saudi Arabia after Yemen airport attack
How new Yemen tensions could complicate the global energy crisis
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