Houthi armed forces set fire to Saudi oil site; the United States did not launch air strikes on Iran for the first time in two weeks

* Saudi oil depot damaged as air defense system reportedly intercepts missiles from Yemen

* The war in the Gulf calmed down, and the United States did not launch an attack on Iran for the first time in two weeks

* Houthis’ involvement in conflict could reignite Yemen’s civil war

Author: Lefteris Papadimas and Idrees Ali

ATHENS/WASHINGTON – Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels opened fire on Saudi oil facilities at two ports on the Red Sea coast on Saturday, but the United States did not launch airstrikes against Iran for the first time in two weeks.

Washington gave no immediate explanation for why it abruptly halted 13 nights of escalating strikes in retaliation for Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz since the collapse of an interim deal to end hostilities.

“It looks like our dear Iran had a peaceful night last night,” Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said on Channel X.

There were also no reports of Iranian attacks on its Gulf neighbors on Saturday, as there are daily in response to U.S. attacks. President Donald Trump on Friday directed the military not to launch new strikes against Iran, Axios reported, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter. The Pentagon and White House did not respond to messages seeking comment on the suspension of airstrikes or the Axios report. On Friday, Trump said the United States and Iran were in talks to end the conflict but reiterated that Tehran was not ready to reach a deal. Despite calm in the Gulf, fighting between Iran’s Houthi allies and Saudi Arabia suggests that the war that has disrupted energy supplies in the Strait of Hormuz could spread to a second major shipping lane and reignite Yemen’s own civil war.

Threat of war spreads to Yemen

Houthi spokesman Yahya al-Sarri said the group had successfully attacked sites belonging to Saudi state oil giant Aramco in Jizan and Yanbu. Video shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed plumes of smoke rising in the direction of the Saudi Aramco refinery in Jazan.

Two Asian trade sources said they had been informed of possible damage to fuel and oil storage sites in Jazan. Saudi Aramco did not respond to a request for comment.

In Yanbu, two ballistic missiles aimed at oil facilities were intercepted by U.S.-made Patriot missiles operated by the Greek military in Saudi Arabia under an agreement with Riyadh, Greek security sources said.

Yanbu is Saudi Arabia’s main oil port on the Red Sea, loading millions of barrels of oil every day. It has become the main sea channel for Saudi oil to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, which is blocked by Iran. Jazan, located on the Red Sea near the border with Yemen, is home to an oil refinery with a daily output of 400,000 barrels.

In Yemen, where the Saudi-backed internationally recognized government has been opposing the Houthis for more than a decade, its air force struck Houthi missile and drone launch sites and arms depots in Marib and Jawf provinces, officials said.

Earlier, the Saudi-led military coalition said it bombed Houthi military positions in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah on Friday.

Yemeni officials say both sides in Yemen’s civil war are mobilizing troops on the front lines.

Saudi-led coalition attacks Hodeidah

Saudi Arabia has led the Arab coalition fighting the Houthis for more than a decade since Iran-aligned militants seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa.

Yemen’s civil war has been suspended under a ceasefire since 2022, during which hundreds of thousands of people have died from fighting and famine. But the ceasefire collapsed this month, effectively joining the Houthis in a broader war waged by their Iranian allies since being attacked by the United States and Israel.

The Houthis have declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia over the past week, with Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi saying all Saudi oil facilities could be targeted.

Global oil prices surged this week, with Brent crude exceeding $100 a barrel for the first time since May.

Trump on Friday vowed “significant military punishment” against Tehran and the Houthis after the Houthis attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. A temporary truce aimed at ending the war effectively collapsed two weeks ago, with U.S. forces attacking targets in southern Iran in response to Iran disrupting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has threatened in recent days to expand targeting to include Iran’s energy plants and bridges, send ground troops to seize its oil center Khag Island and bomb a nuclear-linked site deep underground called Mount Ho.

However, Trump said on Friday that he had not yet made a decision on a new major attack.

This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.