Houthi Red Sea attacks and shipping crisis

Houthis attacked King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on October 10, leaving at least 12 people dead and more than 300 injured.

The Saudi military destroyed several drones launched at the Riyadh region on Friday and Saturday.

Saudi Arabia postponed its annual investor conference until 2027.

Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of encouraging the Houthis’ escalation.

Several embassies in Saudi Arabia have restricted travel and warned citizens not to use airports.

At least five people were killed in missile strikes near the presidential palace in Aden on Thursday.

The 2027 Asian Cup is scheduled to kick off on January 7 in Jeddah, Riyadh and al-Khobar.

Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said the tournament could be moved back a year to 2028.

Lee Keun-ho, president of the Korea Professional Footballers Association, said there is serious concern regarding the safety of all players participating in the Asian Cup.

Al-Nassr's AFC Champions League match against Neftchi Fergana in Riyadh was delayed by an hour after the coalition announced it had intercepted a Houthi missile fired towards the Saudi capital.

The Al Ahli vs Al-Nassr match was rescheduled for March 6, 2027.

The Alvarez vs M'billi boxing fight is scheduled for October 31 in Riyadh.

U.S. diesel inventories were down 14% from a year earlier and visible stocks in China fell 11%, according to Goldman Sachs.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures fell 1.57% to $92.27.

Goldman Sachs estimated that an increase of 800,000 metric tons of Russian diesel would lower wholesale diesel prices in the U.S. Gulf Coast and Europe by just $1 to $2 a barrel.

Trump said the Houthis were behaving "very badly" and repeated his threat that the US could step up military attacks across the Middle East after the November elections.

Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that the Houthis are probably acting at the behest of Iran.

Trump said the Houthis are stepping up attacks on infrastructure in Saudi Arabia to increase energy prices before the US midterm elections.

Fabian Hinz wrote that the Houthis remain dependent on Iran for key technologies and advanced capabilities.

Yoel Guzansky said the Houthis have become an increasingly indispensable pillar of Iran's regional strategy as Hamas and Hezbollah have been severely weakened.

The United Nations estimates that some 377,000 people have died in Yemen's war since 2015, more than half due to indirect causes such as starvation and disease.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for four strikes on Saudi airports before Sunday's attack, which had not yet been claimed by any group.

The Houthi strike on King Khalid International Airport on Saturday was the deadliest attack on Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

The UK urged citizens to avoid travel to Jeddah and Dammam, and to all airports apart from Medina International Airport, except for essential reasons.

The United Kingdom is advising against all but essential travel to large areas of Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that the Houthis are behaving very badly and probably emerged again at the behest of Iran.

A limited fire broke out in an administrative building in an Aramco facility in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province.

The Houthis are building ties with al-Shabaab in Somalia, al Qaeda's East African affiliate.

The Houthis are a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization aligned with Iran and armed and supported by Tehran.

Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline carries crude across the kingdom to Yanbu on the Red Sea.

Three people were killed in Houthi attacks on two Saudi airports on October 6 and 7.

The Houthis announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea.

A temporary ceasefire in Yemen was brokered in 2022.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said oil pumped through the East-West Pipeline had reached 5.8 million barrels as of Tuesday morning.

Samer Hasn, senior market analyst at XS.com, said the Houthis' sustained ability to target oil facilities hundreds of kilometers from the border keeps the risk of a renewed large-scale crude supply disruption present and high.

The Saudi aviation authority reportedly said the country's airports in Jazan and Najran were targeted in two attacks.

Brent futures for November ended the day above $106.50 a barrel on Thursday.

Brent crude rose more than 3 percent on Thursday.

The Houthis said they launched missile and drone attacks on a “sensitive target” in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in Yanbu.

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia at UNGA 81 and called threats to holy sites a 'red line'.

The Houthis seized the strategic port city of Mocha and then almost the entire Red Sea coast, including several islands.

Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus said the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement had not yet been submitted for parliamentary approval and would be formally submitted when the assembly returns from recess on October 1.

Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Civil Defence issued alerts warning of potential danger in Mecca, Tabuk, Jeddah, Yanbu, and Taif.

Saudi-led coalition forces say they intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Houthis towards cities in Saudi Arabia.

A Greek security source said a Greek Patriot system launched two missiles to shoot down a ballistic missile and a drone.

More than 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes.

Houthi militants have advanced along the Red Sea coast and captured strategically important territory in Yemen.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed in the conflict.

Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen said they intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile fired towards Riyadh on Saturday.

Saudi King Salman branded Yemen's Houthi movement a "terrorist militia".

Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Houthi drone launched towards Mecca last week.

The G7 foreign ministers called on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith.

Iran has previously denied supplying weapons to the Houthis and says it only supports them politically.

The G7 nations called on Iran to end its arming of and support for the Houthis in Yemen.

Burnham said he was acting to secure British and regional interests, including keeping oil pathways open.

Burnham agreed to the request on the advice of the defence secretary and the foreign secretary.

The Houthis have seized the port city of Mocha and key Red Sea islands.

The UK has said it will deploy a military aircraft to help refuel Saudi Arabian fighter jets taking part in purely defensive missions, following a Saudi request.

A Saudi-led coalition of Arab states intervened in Yemen in 2015 in an attempt to restore the government's rule.

Thousands of refugees have fled Yemen after Iran-backed Houthis seized territory along the country's Red Sea coastline, including near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Eritrean troops backed the Ethiopian federal army during the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region.

Eritrea's Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel said the unilateral sanctions imposed by the Biden administration five years ago were not warranted by any metrics and that Eritrea welcomes the gesture and remedial measures by the Trump administration.

The US Treasury published a notice saying the national emergency had expired.

Saudi Arabia hosted a multinational naval coalition meeting aimed at protecting shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Attacks by Iran-backed Houthi fighters threaten one of the world’s most important oil routes.

The IOM reported that the number of people displaced by recent fighting in Yemen had passed 104,796.

An AFP journalist reported firefighters trying to extinguish flames from a burnt-out Aramco fuel tank.

Sarea accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out 300 strikes across Yemen during the past week.

Simon-Peter Massabni said the latest decline in crude prices reflects a partial unwinding of the geopolitical risk premium rather than a fundamental change in the oil market.

Simon-Peter Massabni expects oil prices in the near term to remain more sensitive to geopolitical developments than traditional supply-and-demand indicators.

Simon-Peter Massabni said improved logistics for Saudi crude exports have reduced the market's assessment of how much supply is at risk.

The fighting in Yemen has left more than 150,000 people dead and triggered a humanitarian crisis with more than 22 million people in need of aid, according to the UN.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally asked US President Donald Trump to take military action against the Houthis.

Journalists from Reuters and AFP reported hearing explosions in Riyadh, but authorities said the danger had passed.

The Houthi advance has given the Houthis effectively unrestricted access to the Bab al-Mandeb waterway.

The Bab al-Mandeb strait links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world's busiest shipping corridors between Europe and Asia.

Guido Crosetto said Rome must not allow bureaucratic delays in decision-making to exacerbate an already complex situation.

Sohar port is located in Oman, just outside the Strait of Hormuz.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority is a new Iranian body established to manage the Strait of Hormuz.

Rahul Choudhary of Rystad Energy said Hormuz-route exports exceeded 2 million barrels per day in the first two weeks of September, roughly 1 million bpd above August.

Oil prices exceeded $107 a barrel while the price of a gallon of petrol in the United States rose by 35 percent.

The Strait of Hormuz accounts for about 20 percent of global oil and gas supplies, while Bab al-Mandeb accounts for 10-12 percent of global oil.

On September 12, 2026, US President Donald Trump said in Dublin alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin that the Houthis had contacted the US and did not want to fight.

The security alert was also activated for Taif and Jeddah.

The Saudi-led coalition said Houthi strikes injured 13 people in the Saudi cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia says that a drone launched by the Houthis towards Mecca has been intercepted and destroyed.

The Houthi group says the fighter jet was shot down in Yemen's Marib Governorate.

Houthi forces have released a video claiming to show a Saudi fighter jet.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.

The East-West Pipeline outage put 4 million barrels per day at risk.

Brent crude and US West Texas Intermediate futures hovered near four-month highs of $107.8 per barrel and $104.6 a barrel respectively.

Saudi Arabia issued a security alert in Mecca on Tuesday, the first since the Houthis last attempted to target the area with a ballistic missile in 2017.

Saudi-linked ships have been targeted by the Houthis in recent months despite Houthi assurances that maritime traffic in the Red Sea will not be affected.

MBS emphasised the importance of secure navigation in both the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Egypt has so far avoided military action to stop the Houthi disruption of tanker traffic in the Red Sea.

Oil prices have risen after attacks on key Middle East shipping routes.

Record high diesel prices are hitting U.S. drivers.

The Houthis captured Mayun Island.

JD Vance said Washington is in close contact with Saudi Arabia.

Houthis seized key islands in the Red Sea.

JD Vance said the US has held direct talks with the Houthis.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels announced they had captured Greater and Lesser Hanish Island in the southern Red Sea.

US media outlets reported that President Trump rejected a request by the Saudi crown prince for the US to directly intervene.

The Houthis declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and seized Mayun Island and the Red Sea port of Mokha the previous week.

The White House has declined requests for direct military strikes for now.

Former CIA officer Scott Uehlinger said the US may be 'forced to intervene' in the Red Sea.

Houthi forces seized control of Yemen's Red Sea coast.

UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg warned that Yemen faces a new and more dangerous phase of war.

The Houthis claimed their attack targeted a Saudi military base in Sharurah, in the southern Najran province.

A mosque, several buildings, and several vehicles were damaged by the projectile in Jazan's al-Tuwal governorate.

Trump declined direct intervention, with U.S. officials noting the administration has no immediate plans for direct combat involvement but will continue offering intelligence assistance.

Satellite imagery of Perim Island shows a 1.85-kilometer runway alongside three military hangars.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels captured Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Sept. 11.

Saudi Arabia says the projectile was fired by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.

Saudi Arabia released video showing damage caused by a projectile.

The Houthis say they were targeting a Saudi military base.

Between November 2023 and mid-2025, the Houthis attacked more than 100 commercial vessels in the Red Sea that it claimed were linked to Israel or its allies.

Data from IMF PortWatch indicates a drop of between 50 percent and 55 percent in shipping volume and tonnage through the Red Sea between 2023 and 2025.

Bab al-Mandeb handles roughly 12 percent of global trade, including 11 percent of maritime oil and 8 percent of liquefied natural gas.

Houthi forces and Saudi Arabia traded strikes over the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint on the Red Sea coast of Yemen.

US President Donald Trump said the Houthis called Washington, asking it not to intervene in the conflict against Yemen's internationally recognised government.

The Houthis have been fighting in a civil war in Yemen since 2014 against a government backed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Britain.

Saudi Arabia's military launched two airstrikes on September 11 targeting the airport of the Yemen port city of Mokha, according to the Houthis' Al-Masirah TV channel.

The price of Brent crude oil briefly jumped to nearly $110 a barrel before falling to $104 on September 11.

Yemen's Houthis have seized the key Red Sea port of Mokha.

At least 76,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since July, with the number quadrupling in the past week, according to the United Nations.

The BRICS group expressed concern over rising tensions in the Middle East and condemned the use of sanctions not authorized by the United Nations at its summit in New Delhi on Saturday.

Yemen's Ambassador to Qatar Rajeh Hussain Farhan Badi said Houthis are trying to drag Saudi Arabia into conflict by targeting Saudi territory, civilian infrastructure and Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea.

Combined, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan field close to 1.4 million active troops, some 3,400 military aircraft, 6,000 tanks and more than 340 naval assets, according to the 2026 Global Firepower Index.

Khawaja Asif said Pakistan is bound by the terms and conditions of the Mecca pact and will honour them if needed.

Conflict in the Middle East has created a major bottleneck in global shipping due to blockades and fighting in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

The CSG said that without maritime trade, supply chains would fragment and the global economy would come to a sudden halt.

The CSG said the Strait of Hormuz closure demonstrates that when shipping supply chains fragment, the global economy fragments with it.

The Saudi Ministry of Energy said several energy sector facilities in southern areas of the kingdom were hit early on Tuesday.

The Houthis released a statement saying the attacks were in response to more than 120 strikes launched by Saudi Arabia on Yemen in the last three days.

Saudi Arabia accused Yemen's Houthi rebels of launching attacks on civilian and economic sites that wounded at least 73 civilians.

The Houthis have conducted regular attacks on shipping in the Red Sea since 2023.

Tensions escalated in July after government forces claimed an attack on the Houthi-controlled airport in Sanaa, preventing an aircraft from Iran from landing.

Yemen's internationally recognised government launched counterattacks against Houthi rebels, with fighting intensifying on Monday in the provinces of Taiz, al-Bayda and al-Jawf.

Daan Struyven said that investors should bet on rising natural gas and refined product prices because supply shocks in gas and fuels are bigger than in the crude market.

Mohsen Rezaei, the new head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said any ship entering the exclusion area with the intention of passing through the Strait of Hormuz and identified will be placed on Iran's sanctions list.

The U.S. said it had struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to the IRGC targeting two U.S. warships with ballistic missiles.

The Houthi rebel group declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in July.

A Houthi source told Al Jazeera that more than 100 fighters have been killed from both sides since the start of the offensive on Thursday.

Yemeni government forces recaptured al-Khazan and al-Makahna hills in Jabal Habashi district west of Taiz city.

The Army Media Centre said more than 18 Houthi fighters were killed and others wounded or captured in clashes on Thursday.

Houthi fighters and Yemeni government forces are engaged in clashes across several fronts west of Taiz province.

The Yemen News Agency Saba reported that the army shot down three Houthi drones in the Jabal Habashi district in Taiz governorate.

The Houthis declared a blockade on Saudi-linked vessels in the Red Sea last month and began launching attacks.

The Strait of Hormuz has been blockaded by Iran.

The Houthis said the attack was part of the implementation of the Armed Forces' decision to ban maritime navigation by the Saudi enemy.

Al-Makha port director Abdulmalik Al-Sharabi stated that more than 1,500 port workers lost their jobs, 16 were killed, and 22 were injured as a result of Houthi attacks.

A nightly curfew for motorcycles was instituted in al-Makha from 11pm to 6am.

On August 11, a Houthi attack on a vessel at al-Makha port killed three Pakistani crew members and injured eight other seamen.

Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi traveled to Tehran for meetings with Iran's foreign minister and other officials.

Six people were killed by Houthis firing missiles on a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, according to Yemeni authorities.

These are the first known deaths from Houthi attacks on shipping off Yemen in the latest bout of fighting in the Arab country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said France should stop lecturing the world about human rights.

President Trump said the U.S. has "total control" over the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israeli military was destroying all the houses in southern Lebanon.

The attack appears to be the first deadly attack by the Houthis on a vessel since the US and Israel began striking Iran on 28 February.

Six people were killed and 10 injured in strikes by Yemen's Houthis on a cargo ship in the Red Sea, according to Yemen's internationally recognised government.

A years-long truce in Yemen's civil war between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government collapsed last month.

The attack on the port of Mocha killed seven people.

Yemen's Houthis attacked Saudi Aramco's Jazan refinery.

The Saudi Energy Ministry said a fire broke out at the refinery and was later extinguished with no injuries.

A lawmaker said vessels belonging to hostile countries would be prohibited from transiting the Strait of Hormuz under the plan approved by Iran's parliament.

The Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 sparked the war in Gaza.

Iran and Oman are working to finalize a temporary deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with ships entering near Iran and exiting near Oman.