Saudi Arabia Warns it will React Firmly to Houthi Attacks

Saudi Arabia warned Tuesday it will react "firmly" to Yemen's Houthis, after a series of attacks carried out by the pro-Iranian rebels using ballistic missiles and drones wounded 13 civilians in the country's south. 

The Houthis have been engaged in renewed fighting with Saudi-backed government forces since Yemen's civil war reignited in July, when the group declared a maritime blockade on Riyadh and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea.

The



group seized control of Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait last week, which has become vital as the wider US-Iran war chokes the Strait of Hormuz, in a significant blow to Yemeni government forces. 

It has also targeted the oil infrastructure of Saudi Arabia, the world's leading crude exporter, pushing oil prices above the $100 threshold. A Houthi strike in western Yemen on Monday killed eight soldiers from government forces, according to two military sources.