Saudi Coalition Strikes Houthi-Held Hodeidah After Red Sea Ship Attacks

Saudi Arabia – (Special Correspondent/Web Desk) – Saudi-led coalition forces struck several military sites in Houthi-held Hodeidah on Friday. The strikes came as a direct response to recent attacks on Saudi-linked ships in the Red Sea.

Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki confirmed the operation on social media. He called it a “proportionate” response against legitimate military targets belonging to the Houthi group. He also said the operation had already ended.

The trouble started after the Houthis warned they would target Saudi vessels that ignored their sea blockade. This week, the group claimed it had hit two Saudi ships. Saudi Arabia later confirmed one of those attacks was real.

A local security source told reporters that a naval base in Hodeidah was hit. A military camp on nearby Kamaran Island was also struck during the operation.

The Houthi-run foreign ministry didn’t stay quiet for long. It warned that this marks a new stage of “escalation for escalation.” People in the area said they heard loud blasts, some close to the port itself.

Houthi media reported two people were hurt in the strikes. One was a worker in Hodeidah city. The other was a woman on Kamaran Island.

By Saturday, Al-Malki clarified a few important details. He said Hodeidah port itself was not a target. He added that all Yemeni ports, including Hodeidah, Ras Issa, and Salif, remain open for business and are still receiving cargo ships.

No airports were hit either, according to the coalition. Al-Malki said this was done on purpose to keep air travel running. However, he accused the Houthis of blocking flights at Sanaa International Airport.

The coalition made it clear this isn’t over. It said it will keep taking steps to protect its ships and Saudi interests. If the Houthis continue what it called hostile acts, the response will be firm.

This clash is a big deal. It’s the first real exchange of fire between the two sides in years. A shaky truce has mostly held since 2022, even though it technically expired.

One Saudi ship, the NCC MASA, was hit while sailing through the Red Sea. State media said the hull suffered minor damage. The ship kept going and finished its journey safely.

Timing matters here too. Trouble in the Strait of Hormuz has already pushed more shipping traffic through the Red Sea. That route has become vital for Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter.

Data shows nearly all of Saudi Arabia’s oil exports left from its Red Sea port of Yanbu in recent months. That number stayed high through June and into July as well.

The Houthis have been fighting Yemen’s official government since 2014. That war has already cost hundreds of thousands of lives.

Saudi Arabia’s envoy to Yemen, Ambassador Mohamed AlJabir, spoke out too. He said the Kingdom still wants peace and a full political solution for Yemen’s people.

But he blamed the Houthis for choosing violence instead, saying they serve outside interests. Many read this as a clear reference to Iran’s influence over the group.

AlJabir added that Saudi Arabia still supports ships reaching Hodeidah to help everyday Yemenis. Still, he condemned what he called cowardly attacks on civilian ships in the Red Sea.