Saudi Arabia vows to respond 'firmly' to Houthi attacks

A Houthi official stated on Tuesday that Saudi warplanes had struck Yemen, resulting in the deaths of three individuals, among them two children. Human Rights Watch accused the Houthi rebels of possible war crimes due to their attacks on commercial vessels. The renewed conflict in Yemen poses a threat to civilians and endangers shipping through the Red Sea, a vital route that has gained significance following disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S.-led war against Iran.

A spokesman for the Houthi-run Health Ministry, Anees al Asbahi, disclosed the incident via X on Tuesday, stating that Saudi airstrikes killed three people, including two children, in Yemen's Taiz province. The Associated Press was unable to independently verify this claim. Al-Asbahi reported that two additional people were injured in the strikes.

The escalation is fueled by the Houthi rebels' seizure of the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea, enhancing their control over a crucial maritime shipping route. Iran had previously shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas passes in normal circumstances. In response, Saudi Arabia has been utilizing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to export crude oil.

The Houthi rebels' latest seizures, following their capture of Red Sea port of Mokha and a strategic island, intensify pressure on Saudi shipments and global oil supplies and prices, potentially providing Iran with more leverage in its ongoing conflict with the United States. Human Rights Watch accused the Houthi rebels of war crimes, alleging that at least three attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden between July 20 and August 24 could be deemed war crimes.

The rebels contend that their attacks on Saudi-linked shipping are a response to the Saudi-led coalition blockade imposed on Houthi-held areas in Yemen, stemming from the decade-long civil war. Human Rights Watch urged the Houthi rebels to cease all unlawful attacks on civilian ships immediately and unconditionally.