Saudi warplanes intensified their bombardment of Yemen while Houthi fighters retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting Saudi cities, marking a significant escalation in the Middle East conflict. The Iran-backed Houthi movement has rapidly expanded its control, extending Tehran’s influence across the region.

In response to the deteriorating security situation, the United States raised its travel advisory for Saudi Arabia, restricting government employees from traveling within 20 miles of the Yemen border. This move underscores the growing volatility in the area.

The Houthis, who have recently advanced through Yemeni towns along the Red Sea coast and captured strategic islands in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, released footage showing fighters seizing armored vehicles from Saudi-backed forces. The video depicted warplanes overhead and massive explosions erupting from desert dunes.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced new drone and missile strikes on Yanbu, a key Saudi Red Sea oil port, and the southern airbase at Khamis Mushait. Although the timing of these attacks was not specified, both locations had been placed on alert by Saudi authorities the previous day. No similar alerts were issued on Wednesday.

Saudi officials and the national oil company Aramco have not yet commented on these developments. Earlier, Saree claimed the Houthis had downed a Saudi F-15 fighter jet, though no evidence has been provided to confirm this.

Saree also stated that Saudi forces had conducted up to 450 airstrikes on Yemen during the week. The Saudi-backed government controlling southern Yemen acknowledged joint air operations against Houthi positions, though Riyadh has not officially confirmed these strikes.

The Houthis have repeatedly launched attacks into southern and western Saudi Arabia over the past week, raising alarms in multiple cities. Additionally, an assault attributed to Iran-aligned militants in Iraq recently disabled Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, a crucial route for diverting oil exports away from the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

Riyadh reported intercepting a Houthi drone near Mecca on Tuesday before it could enter restricted airspace over the holy city, describing the attack as crossing a “red line” due to the sacred nature of the shrines. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca, dismissing the Saudi claims as propaganda.

Meanwhile, US officials reportedly met with Houthi representatives in Oman over the weekend. The Houthis expressed no intention to attack American vessels and reaffirmed their commitment to a ceasefire agreement reached with the US last year.

This expansion of hostilities into Yemen threatens to exacerbate the global energy supply shortage already strained by the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran, which has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude prices hovered near $108 per barrel, close to their highest levels since May, while US diesel prices reached a record above $6.30 per gallon.

Market analysts warn that a prolonged shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline could eliminate up to 4% of global oil supply. Although Saudi Arabia has not announced when the pipeline might resume operations, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright indicated crude flow could restart within days.

Saudi Arabia has led a coalition against the Houthis since 2015. The conflict had largely subsided under a ceasefire in recent years but reignited after the Houthis imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and launched attacks on southern regions. Violence surged this month as the Houthis pushed back forces allied with the Saudi-backed internationally recognized Yemeni government.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently contacted US President Donald Trump seeking military assistance, which has so far been limited to intelligence support. The US previously bombed Houthi targets for two months in 2025 but ceased operations following a ceasefire aimed at halting attacks on shipping.

President Trump now faces a critical decision: either risk allowing the Houthi advance to worsen the global energy crisis by standing aside or escalate US military involvement to support Saudi Arabia, potentially expanding the costly conflict into a new theater.