Iran war: Houthis vow response to 'dangerous escalation' by Saudi Arabia

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claim that civilian sites were targeted in Saudi strikes on the Yemeni port city of Hodeida. Saudi Arabia says it hit military targets. DW has more.

DW has more.

Here are the latest developments from the Iran war and the wider Middle East on Saturday, July 25: Tired of missing our real-time updates? Click here to add us as a Preferred Source on Google. Then tap the "Star" or "Preferred" to keep DW News at the top of your feed.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have accused Saudi Arabia of targeting civilian infrastructure, amid an escalating flare-up with Riyadh. Saudi Arabia on Friday hit the Houthi-held port city of Hodeida with strikes, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said, in response to the rebel group attacking Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea as part of a maritime blockade. "The Saudi enemy's targeting of civilian facilities in Hodeida and Kamaran island constitutes a dangerous escalation, the Houthis' Ansarollah media posted on Telegram.

"We affirm that these recent crimes will not go unanswered. Houthi-run Al Masirah television said on Saturday that Saudi strikes had targeted facilities belonging to the state telecommunications corporation and Kamaran island, off Yemen's western coast. The broadcaster reported that one worker was wounded in Hodeida while a woman was also injured on Kamaran Island.

The Saudi-led coalition, meanwhile, claimed that it hit "Houthi military sites" and destroyed targets that were posing a threat to commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Riyadh said it would do everything necessary to protect its ships, warning the Houthis that if they continued "hostile acts then there will be no hesitation in responding. For Saudi Arabia, a top oil producer, the Red Sea had emerged a critical shipping alternative to the war-blockaded Strait of Hormuz."