By Reuters | July 25, 2026
The Saudi-led coalition said it struck Houthi military positions in Yemen’s Hodeidah governorate on Friday, saying the targets were being used to threaten commercial shipping in the Red Sea and nearby waters.
Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV reported that the strikes hit facilities belonging to Yemen’s state telecommunications corporation in Hodeidah city and also struck positions on Kamaran Island off Yemen’s western coast.
Coalition spokesman Turki al‑Malki said in a statement that Hodeidah port had not been targeted and that Yemeni ports, including Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Salif, remained open to maritime navigation and were receiving commercial vessels. He added the coalition would continue taking necessary measures to protect its ships and Saudi interests and would respond “uncompromisingly” to further hostile actions by the Houthis.
The Houthi-run foreign ministry said the strikes marked the start of a phase of “escalation for escalation” and held Saudi Arabia responsible for any subsequent developments.
The moves come amid renewed tensions after a 2022 truce that had halted most large-scale fighting in Yemen’s war, which began in 2015 when the Iran-aligned Houthi movement seized the capital and forced the internationally recognized government from power. The truce has been strained in recent weeks by a Houthi attack on a Saudi airport on July 13 and by the movement’s announcement of a naval blockade and attacks on Saudi tankers.
The Houthis said their actions were retaliatory — including for an alleged Saudi strike on an airport under their control and what they describe as a Saudi siege of Yemen — charges Riyadh denies.
Saudi state news agency SPA cited a Transport General Authority source saying the Saudi vessel NCC MASA sustained minor hull damage from an attack in the Red Sea on Friday but continued to its destination after inspections confirmed the ship and crew were safe. Reuters could not immediately verify the reports.