Houthis Missile Saudi Arabia, Trump Delays Decision on Iran
Conflict in the Middle East enters a new phase as Houthi rebels expand attacks on Saudi cities and ships in the Red Sea, while the US continues strikes on Iran.
Conflict in the Middle East enters a new phase as Houthi rebels expand attacks on Saudi cities and ships in the Red Sea, while the US continues strikes on Iran.
Houthi rebels from Yemen launched a missile attack on the Saudi city of Jizan on July 25, 2026, opening a new front in the conflict that has been shaking the Middle East for nearly five months. Saudi Arabia's civil defense agency issued a warning to residents of Jizan and nearby Yanbu, stating that the potential danger had passed quickly. Riyadh did not immediately comment on the Houthi announcement of the attack via the Ansarollah Telegram channel.
The missile attack came a day after Saudi Arabia targeted Houthi positions on July 24, including a naval base at the port of Hodeida and a military camp on Kamaran Island, according to a Yemeni security source cited by AFP. The Saudi-led coalition explained these strikes as a response to Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis had previously announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia and confirmed attacks on two Saudi ships, one of which Riyadh confirmed.
Mohammad Abdulsalam, a spokesman for the Houthi rebels, in a statement released after the Saudi attack on Sanaa International Airport, accused Saudi Arabia of continuing the siege of Yemen. According to a report by Iran International, Abdulsalam said the attack on the airport shows that its reopening still depends on the decision of Saudi authorities, and accused Riyadh of lies, arrogance, and hostile actions. He warned that Saudi Arabia, through miscalculations, is becoming an open enemy of Yemen, which, in his words, could have serious consequences for the security and economy of that country.
Saudi Arabia and the Houthi rebels had observed a ceasefire since April 2022. It was broken on July 13, 2026, when the Houthis fired missiles and drones at a Saudi airport. The war between Riyadh and the Houthis, ongoing since 2014, has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and pushed Yemen into a deep humanitarian crisis, according to France Info. The resumption of hostilities further strains an already unstable region, especially in the context of the simultaneous Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which is Saudi Arabia's only alternative shipping route.
Alongside the escalation in Yemen, U.S. President Donald Trump said he has not yet decided on launching major military operations against Iran. "No, I haven't," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, answering a question on the topic. "Look, we're talking to them right now. I think they're getting more serious as the days go by, maybe for obvious reasons," he added. Trump noted that Iran has a choice between a negotiated agreement and facing a "much higher level" of strikes, and cited as his red line the possibility of Iran being close to developing nuclear weapons.
The war, which Trump initially predicted would last four to five weeks, has entered its fifth month, which according to AFP is negatively affecting the president's approval ratings ahead of important midterm elections in November 2026. The U.S. military broke a streak of 13 consecutive nights of strikes on Iranian military targets on July 25. Iran responded with attacks on U.S. bases that, according to AFP, killed four American soldiers, and Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it targeted U.S. targets in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait on July 24, though the U.S. did not confirm those claims. On the diplomatic front, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Kyrgyzstan and called for continued negotiations, but no concrete progress was announced.
