As the war in West Asia expands on the Yemen front, Iran-backed Houthis announced that they have launched a new attack on Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis announced that they launched dozens of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at the military air base in Saudi Arabia's Khamis Mushait city, close to the Yemen border, on Monday.
Houthis; He claimed that they targeted aircraft hangars, radar systems, runways and ammunition depots. Saudi Arabia did not make a detailed statement about the damage caused by the attack.
Following the attack, short-term emergency warnings were issued in Khamis Mushait as well as in three southern cities that had previously been the target of Houthi attacks.
Saudi Arabian Civil Defense officials later reported that the warnings in four cities were lifted.
The Houthis claimed that the attack was in retaliation for hundreds of air strikes carried out by Saudi Arabia against Yemen in recent days.
Houthis ADVANCE ON THE RED SEA COAST
The conflicts in Yemen, which have been continuing at low intensity for a long time, have escalated again in recent days.
Last week, the Houthis made rapid progress on the Red Sea coast and captured the historical port of Muha and strategic points.
The group then took control of Meyyun Island, located in the Babulmandeb Strait. Babulmandeb, also known as the "Gate of Tears", is one of the routes that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is of critical importance for global maritime trade.
Military tension in the region also increased the pressure on Saudi Arabia's oil exports.
In a separate attack on Friday, Saudi Arabia's east-west oil pipeline was disabled. Riyadh administration blamed Iran-backed Iraqi groups for the attack.
The line is critical for global energy supply as it carries Saudi oil to Yanbu on the Red Sea coast without using the Strait of Hormuz.
According to industry sources, if the line is not restarted in a short time, shipments of up to 4 million barrels per day, which corresponds to approximately 4 percent of the world's oil supply, may be at risk.
Oil prices rose more than 3 percent as markets reopened after the weekend.
While the barrel price of Brent oil rose above 107 dollars, US crude oil was traded above 100 dollars.
It was reported that the average retail diesel price in the USA reached a record level, reaching over $6.23 per gallon.
The rise in energy prices further increases the pressure of the war in West Asia on the global economy and inflation.
CRITICAL MEETING FOR HORUZ HAS BEEN POSTPONED
At a time when tensions were rising, a remarkable development took place on the diplomatic front.
The Strait of Hormuz meeting, which Oman was scheduled to bring together Iran and Gulf countries on Monday, has been postponed.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi announced that the decision was taken "in order to achieve reconciliation." Iran, on the other hand, reported that the meeting was postponed at the request of Saudi Arabia.
At the meeting, it was expected to discuss the negotiations regarding the re-normalization of maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which was greatly disrupted due to the war.
The Iranian administration made a new statement that could increase the tension in the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran published a list of 77 ships that it claimed violated navigation rules in the strait.
Iran announced that these ships may face various sanctions, including fines, detention or seizure, in their future passages.
Ship traffic in Hormuz, through which approximately 20 percent of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas trade passed before the war, has declined sharply recently.
YEMEN FRONT IS PUSHING WASHINGTON
The renewed conflict in Yemen has created a new dilemma for the US administration.
While Washington faces pressure to support Saudi Arabia, it does not want the war with Iran, which has been going on for months, to expand to a new front.
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's request for direct US military intervention against the Houthis has so far not been met by Washington, sources told Reuters. It was reported that the US instead supported Riyadh in intelligence sharing and target identification.
The re-intensifying conflicts in Yemen also affect civilians.
As the Houthis advanced along the Red Sea coast, thousands of Yemenis began to flee the conflict zones to the interior.
The military activity around Babulmandeb poses a new risk not only for Yemen and Saudi Arabia, but also for global trade and energy shipments via the Red Sea.
The disruptions in Hormuz, the disabling of Saudi Arabia's east-west pipeline and the Houthis' advance around Babulmandeb coincide with the same period, putting three critical routes of global oil trade under pressure at the same time.
