Sana/Riyadh/Washington/Tehran, 13 September (HS): Fighting continues over the strategically vital Bab al-Mandab chokepoint on Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Houthi fighters and Saudi Arabia are carrying out attacks against each other. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has said that the Houthis contacted Washington and asked it not to intervene in the ongoing conflict against Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

According to reports by Al Jazeera and CBS News, a drone launched from Iran targeted Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline. Following the incident, Iraq temporarily closed three of its border crossings with Iran. Riyadh did not immediately launch a retaliatory strike but shut down the pipeline as a precautionary measure. Iran is expected to hold talks with the Gulf states in Oman on Monday to discuss the Strait of Hormuz.

The Saudi Civil Defense authorities said that Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired a projectile at the southern Saudi region of Jazan. Two people were injured in the attack, while a mosque and several buildings were damaged. A Civil Defense spokesperson described the targeting of civilian areas as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law. The Houthis claimed that their attack was aimed at a Saudi military base in Sharurah, in the southern Najran province.

Houthi fighters have established control over the entire Red Sea coastline of Yemen and captured the strategic port city of Mocha. Meanwhile, Yemen’s government forces have opened new fronts in Al-Jawf, Marib and Al-Bayda. According to the International Organization for Migration and local authorities, more than 500 people have been killed in the fighting so far, while thousands have been displaced. The United Nations Security Council has already expressed concern over the crisis.

Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi Arabia said they had launched attacks to wrest Mocha from Houthi control. A spokesperson said weapons and vehicles had been destroyed and numerous Houthi fighters had been killed. Sources said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally urged President Trump to take military action against the Houthi rebels. Trump and the Crown Prince have held several discussions in recent days over the deteriorating situation.

Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard on Saturday near the coast of Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier, in retaliation for US attacks, Iran had targeted American bases in Gulf countries as well as oil tankers passing through the strategic waterway. The United States also targeted vessels attempting to breach its retaliatory blockade of Iranian ports.

Meanwhile, the Houthis claimed to have released more than 200 prisoners from the areas under their control. Houthi official Abdel Qader al-Murtada said they were prisoners of war who had spent eight years in detention. Addressing a conference in the capital, Sana, Murtada said, “We welcomed 210 of our prisoners who were released from Saudi enemy prisons on the western coast.”

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar