Iran-backed Houthis claim new attacks on Saudi Arabia as fighting intensifies in Yemen

Iran-backed Houthis claim new attacks on Saudi Arabia as fighting intensifies in Yemen SAMY MAGDY CAIRO, EGYPT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED 27 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: Houthi fighters escort a convoy carrying prisoners freed in Mocha through the Bani Matar district on its way to Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, following the Houthi takeover of the southern Red Sea port city. STR/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen overnight claimed new attacks on neighbouring Saudi Arabia, as Yemen’s Saudi-backed government described the rebels’ swift advance along the Red Sea coast as a “painful” development in a new front in the Iran war. The Houthis’ capture of a key port city and an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, in recent days has alarmed markets and Yemeni civilians who fear a return to devastating civil war. Overnight, the Houthis claimed more attacks with missiles and drones on Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognized government that’s been fighting the rebels. A Houthi military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed in a statement that they targeted a military base in Sharurah province in Saudi Arabia’s Najran region. He didn’t provide evidence or say when the attack occurred. Iran-backed militias in Iraq accused of targeting key Saudi pipeline The Saudi civil defence overnight said a projectile fell in al-Tawwal governorate near the border with Yemen along the Red Sea, injuring two people and damaging a mosque and several other buildings. The statement blamed the Houthis. It also said sirens went off in Sharurah province but didn’t report casualties or damage. There was no Saudi statement Sunday on any new attacks targeting the Houthis, who have been hitting Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping as part of a recently declared blockade. While the rebels have said there is no threat to other commercial shipping, markets remain wary and oil prices have risen again. A senior government official in Yemen said its forces will return to the Red Sea coast and fight back, after people fleeing the Houthi advance told the Associated Press they saw forces withdrawing and urging people to run. Sultan al-Arada, a member of the ruling presidential council, described the collapse of government forces in the port city of Mocha…