Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks this week, escalating the conflict between them and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and raising fears of a wider regional conflagration. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.
The attacks have killed dozens of civilians and troops and also targeted Saudi tankers in transit from Red Sea ports through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait out to the Gulf of Aden and the rest of the world.
Though less significant than the Strait of Hormuz, around 12% of the world's trade, including a fourth of global container traffic, once passed through Bab el-Mandeb, moving between Europe and Asia via Egypt's Suez Canal. Fewer tankers have passed through the strait since this week's attacks, according to shipping data published by the analytics firm Kpler this week.
Weeks of Houthi escalation reflected how Iran "is scaling up pressure on the United States in Yemen through its close ally," according to Yemen researcher Afrah Nasser.
"The escalation is directly connected to regional developments," she wrote in an analysis for the nonprofit DAWN on Friday.
The Houthi attacks — including one in northeastern Yemen on Friday morning — come weeks after the rebels declared a blockade on Saudi-linked ships leaving the strait in retaliation for a yearslong Saudi siege on Yemen and recent attacks on the Houthi-controlled capital.
One Houthi attack on Thursday injured 11 civilians, including a 4-year-old child, according to the Saudi military. Others on Saudi-backed military camps in eastern Yemen killed at least 17 soldiers, according to SABA news agency, which is affiliated with Yemen's internationally recognized government.
Houthi spokesman Nasruddin Amer said on X on Friday that the group will continue to target any Saudi-linked targets.