The Tehran-backed Houthis claimed a missile struck Saudi Arabia's Jizan as the conflict in the Middle East expanded. The US reported a 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets while President Trump said he had not decided on major retaliation and was pursuing talks. Saudi-led forces said they struck Houthi sites threatening Red Sea shipping, and Iran reported strikes on US assets in the region. China urged renewed negotiations after talks with Iranian officials.
Houthis Claim Missile Strike On Saudi City As Trump Considers Larger Strikes On Iran
Trump said he had not yet decided whether to launch major strikes on Iran (Mandel NGAN)
Tehran-backed Houthi rebels said on Saturday they fired a missile that struck the southern Saudi city of Jizan, as US President Donald Trump weighed whether to order further strikes on Iran amid a widening regional conflict.
The US military issued its routine update of strikes on Iran on Saturday, marking a 13th consecutive night of attacks on Iranian military targets. The campaign follows months of escalating exchanges across the Middle East that have drawn in regional and global powers.
Houthi Claims And Saudi Response
The Houthi movement's Ansarollah account on Telegram claimed a "Yemeni missile strike" had sparked fires in Jizan. Riyadh did not immediately confirm damage from the reported strike, but Saudi civil defence issued brief warnings to residents in Jizan and the Red Sea port city of Yanbu early on Saturday.
The Saudi-led coalition said on Friday it struck Houthi sites it said threatened commercial shipping in the Red Sea, after the rebels announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and claimed attacks on vessels there. A Yemeni security source told AFP the coalition targeted a naval base in Hodeida and a military camp on Kamaran Island.
US-Iran Exchanges And Trump’s Deliberation
Asked in the Oval Office whether he had decided to carry out major strikes on Iran, Trump replied, "No, I haven't," saying that talks with Tehran appeared to be growing more serious. He warned Iran faced a choice between negotiating or suffering "a much higher level" of strikes and reiterated that a key red line would be if Iran neared the development of a nuclear weapon.
The United States says its strikes aim to prevent Iran from closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Iranian attacks on US bases have, the US says, killed four American service members; Tehran has claimed strikes on US military assets in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also asserted it targeted an Amazon data centre in Bahrain — a claim not confirmed by Amazon, Bahraini authorities or the US.
Diplomacy And Regional Risk
On the diplomatic front, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Iran's Abbas Araghchi in Kyrgyzstan and urged a resumption of talks and implementation of a memorandum of understanding intended to ease tensions in the Gulf. Trump said he trusted public assurances from China and Russia that they were not supplying arms to Iran.
The conflict, which US leaders once suggested might be short, has entered its fifth month and risks drawing in more regional actors while disrupting vital shipping routes.
Outlook
With claims and counterclaims circulating and independent verification limited in some cases, the situation remains fluid. Further military actions, diplomatic moves, or miscalculations could broaden the conflict and intensify risks to civilians and commercial shipping in the region.
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