Airstrikes on Houthi missile sites in Yemen's Marib and Jawf provinces mark the latest escalation in a conflict that has pushed Brent crude above $100 a barrel and threatens to disrupt 15 percent of global maritime trade through the Red Sea.
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Airstrikes hit Houthi missile sites as Red Sea risk pushes Brent above $100
Airstrikes struck multiple Houthi military targets in northern Yemen on Saturday, hitting missile launch platforms, rocket launchers and weapons depots in the Marib and Jawf governorates, according to Yemen's state television. The strikes killed several Houthi personnel including missile technicians, the report said, as the US-Iran conflict continues to widen across the Middle East.
"The Houthis got snookered into this thing by the Iranians, and they were smart to stay out of it, and they should stay out of it," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in the Philippines on Thursday, after Houthi attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea this week.
The strikes follow a Houthi attack Wednesday on the Saudi-flagged tanker Encelia, which ignited a fire at the vessel's bow in the Red Sea. A second Saudi vessel, the Layla, was also reportedly hit. The Houthis retaliated for Saturday's airstrikes by launching missiles and drones at energy facilities in Saudi Arabia's Jizan and Yanbu regions, according to the group's Ansarollah media channel. Saudi authorities issued emergency alerts for Jizan province.
The escalation threatens to rekindle a shipping crisis that previously rerouted 15 percent of global maritime trade away from the Suez Canal. Brent crude, which briefly touched $100 a barrel this week — its highest since May — has since retreated to around $96 after two Chinese-chartered supertankers successfully transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after updating their AIS destinations to "CHINA CREW & OWNER," according to MarineTraffic data. The selective passage underscores how the Houthis have exempted Chinese vessels from their blockade while continuing to target Saudi and Western-linked shipping.
Red Sea choke point returns to center stage
The Houthis' mountainous strongholds in northwestern Yemen give them a tactical advantage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a 20-mile-wide chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Former National Counterterrorism Center director Joe Kent described the terrain as "incredibly mountainous, with peaks and valleys that run parallel to the Bab Al-Mandeb," allowing the group to fire down into the shipping lane while dispersing missiles and drones in caves and tunnel systems.
The US military's previous bombing campaign against the Houthis, launched in March 2025, cost roughly $1 billion in its first month but failed to establish air superiority or halt attacks on US warships, according to the New York Times. The campaign ended in May 2025 under an Oman-brokered deal requiring the Houthis to stop targeting American ships — but not other commercial vessels. The Pentagon reported over 1,000 airstrikes during that campaign.
The latest strikes come as the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve has been drained by nearly 25 percent over the past 17 weeks, falling from 415.4 million barrels on March 20 to 311.4 million barrels on July 17, according to Energy Information Administration data. The Biden administration had previously set the record for the largest SPR drawdown, and the Trump administration is now releasing even more crude as the Iran conflict strains global supply.
"The effect on oil prices would be moderate in isolation, but this shouldn't be viewed in isolation," said J.D. Foster, a former senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation. "Combined with the dueling blockades of the Strait of Hormuz and Ukrainian efforts to shut down Russian oil exports, these three developments could push oil prices up far beyond recent experience."
The last time the Houthis launched a sustained campaign against Red Sea shipping in late 2023, container shipping costs surged more than 300 percent as carriers rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, adding 10 to 14 days to transit times. Shipping data from Clarksons shows tankers loading at Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port are now shifting course toward the Suez Canal rather than sailing south toward the Bab el-Mandeb, while others are holding position awaiting further instruction.
President Donald Trump warned on Truth Social on Thursday that the US would hold Iran responsible for Houthi attacks, threatening "major military punishment" against both Tehran and the Houthis. The State Department and White House referred to Trump's post and Rubio's remarks when asked for comment. The Department of War declined to comment on specific operations but said it "stands ready to execute the Commander-in-Chief's orders whenever and wherever called upon."
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
[1] Yemeni Media: Multiple Military Targets of Houthi Forces Hit by Airstrikes[2] Here’s how Trump’s Houthi headache could turn into full blown migraine[3] Iran-backed Houthis claim missile attack on Saudi Arabia[4] Urgent: Yemen's Houthis claim missile, drone attacks on Saudi energy facilities[5] Iran war live: Houthis claim attack on Saudi Arabia as war spreads
