Fighting between Saudis and Houthis escalates as Trump weighs a major military strike on Iran
Days after President Donald Trump issued a warning to the Houthis, the Iran-backed terrorists claimed responsibility for a missile attack on Saudi Arabia. U.S. officials reiterated Iran is "begging" for a deal, as Trump weighs a major escalation.
Yemen's Houthis say they targeted two Saudi Aramco oil facilities
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi terrorists said Saturday that they targeted two Saudi Arabian oil facilities.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesman, said in a prerecorded statement on Saturday that the attack targeted facilities of Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan.
The Yemeni Armed Forces, which is considered under de facto control of the Houthis, also announced on Telegram "the execution of two qualitative military operations targeting sensitive Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu, using dozens of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones."
"The operations successfully achieved their objectives, thanks be to God," Yemeni military spokesman Yahya Saree Qasim Saree wrote.
Aramco is the Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil and natural gas company.
Saree added that the operations were in response to Saudi strikes on Hodeidah and Karaman Island on Friday. Sources in the region have told Fox News that explosions were heard Friday on Houthi naval targets in Hodeidah.
Saudi Arabia has not confirmed any attacks on the Aramco facilities.
Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
UKMTO warns of reported incident between tanker, military forces in Gulf of Oman
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization issued a warning to vessels that there was a report of an incident between a tanker and military forces in the Gulf of Oman.
The advisory did not specify which forces were involved or which country the tanker is affiliated with.
The timing of the advisory coincides with a report by The Associated Press that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) disabled the motor tanker "Lavine" in the Gulf of Oman after it tried to get around the U.S. naval blockade of Iran.
The UKMTO said investigations into the incident are ongoing, while telling vessels in the area to "consider the latest maritime security information and maintain awareness of the evolving operational environment."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Saudi air defense systems intercept more ballistic missiles from Yemen after Houthi strikes
Saudi Arabia intercepted more ballistic missiles coming from Yemen on Saturday, per a Reuters report citing Greek security sources.
The Saudi government issued several warnings for Yanbu, a coastal city further north of Jizan, where the Houthis attacked. Later, Saudi officials said Yanbu was no longer in danger.
There were no immediate reports of damage.
The Houthi strikes on Jizan come after the Iran-backed terrorist group hit two Saudi-flagged oil tankers on the Red Sea this week. The Houthis said they were enforcing a blockade on the country, further constricting oil exports at a time when another all-important chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz, is facing similar war-time constraints.
Saudi Arabia has hit back at the Houthis with "a firm, resolute, and proportionate military response," Saudi Major General Turki Al-Malki announced Saturday.
"The targets focused solely on legitimate military targets that the terrorist Houthi militia uses to threaten commercial vessels in the Red Sea," he added.
Reuters contributed to this report.
US intelligence assesses Iran's new supreme leader is more open to nuclear weapons: report
American intelligence agencies believe Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is more willing than his father, and predecessor, to develop a nuclear weapon, according to media reports.
Iran's previous Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei maintained that nuclear weapons were forbidden under his religious fatwa, Iran International reported.
A New York Times report said U.S. officials believe Iran has not resumed nuclear enrichment despite moving some equipment to the heavily fortified underground facility known as Pickaxe Mountain.
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