Overview
- Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group carried out a drone strike on Najran Airport on Tuesday, and regional reporting said airport operations were suspended after the facility's radar was damaged.
- The attack follows a Houthi-declared maritime embargo on Saudi-linked vessels that began in late July and a string of strikes the group says damaged tankers including Encelia, Layla and NCC Ghazal.
- The Houthis also claimed a ballistic-missile hit on the Saudi tanker Wafaa in the northern Red Sea, which the group said reflects a shift north as Saudi exports were rerouted away from the Bab el-Mandeb choke point.
- Saudi Arabia has announced a nascent multinational naval coalition to protect Red Sea transit and shipping lanes in response to the Houthi campaign.
- Markets have already reacted with oil rising above $100 per barrel and greater volatility, and reports say Saudi pauses in airstrikes and Oman-mediated talks are running alongside military measures, raising the risk of wider regional spillover.