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Current Affairs

US pauses nightly Iran strikes, as Houthis clash with Saudis

Skirmishes between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia intensified, as a pause in the nearly two-week run of nightly US strikes on Iran raised fresh questions…

By Samantha Johnson / July 25, 2026

Skirmishes between Houthi rebels and Saudi Arabia intensified, as a pause in the nearly two-week run of nightly US strikes on Iran raised fresh questions about President Donald Trump’s strategy in the war.

The Houthis, Islamist militants based in Yemen and backed by Iran, said they fired missiles and drones at facilities linked to oil giant Saudi Aramco in the Red Sea port towns of Jizan and Yanbu.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Saudi government or Aramco. Saudi authorities briefly issued emergency warnings but retracted them and said the danger had passed.

A Saudi-led coalition responded by striking Houthi military positions later on Saturday, according to Yemen TV, a channel affiliated with the internationally recognised Yemeni government.

The day before, the coalition struck the port from which the Houthis’ maritime attacks normally originate. The Houthis also announced they would blockade Saudi ports and attacked two Saudi-linked oil tankers in the Red Sea.

People sit in a fishing boat sailing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen’s southern Taiz province on Saturday. Photo: AFP
People sit in a fishing boat sailing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off Yemen’s southern Taiz province on Saturday. Photo: AFP

After attacking Iran for 13 days, the US apparently paused strikes on Friday night into Saturday with no explanation or announcement. Iranian media and the government also did not announce any incoming attacks.

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