Saudi seeks Egypt's backing as Houthi attacks disrupt Red Sea shipping
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Cairo on Tuesday as Saudi Arabia sought support against Yemen's Houthi rebels, whose attacks have disrupted key shipping routes and pushed up oil prices globally. Egypt is not expected to offer military help, but it carries influence in the Arab world, and el-Sissi's office said there was "unwavering" support for Saudi Arabia.
The wider regional situation remained volatile through the day, with reports of Saudi airstrikes in Yemen, fresh displacement concerns, a US move against two Iranian boats, a new recruitment appeal in Iran, deadly Israeli strikes in Gaza, and calls from Oman for alternative energy routes to reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz.
Neither Saudi Arabia nor Egypt gave firm details on any future steps after the Cairo meeting. The visit came as Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline is expected to remain largely shut for weeks for repairs after attacks by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, officials said. The disruption is likely to keep several million barrels of oil a day off the market.
At the same time, Houthi fighters have made rapid gains, seizing the Red Sea port of Mokha and three strategic islands in and near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In London, UK Prime Minister's spokesman Tom Wells said the Houthis "must cease their attacks immediately" and added that Saudi Arabia and Yemen "have the right to defend themselves".
In Yemen, Anees al Asbahi, a spokesperson for the Houthi-run Health Ministry, said on X that Saudi airstrikes in Taiz province killed three people, including two children. The Associated Press said it could not independently verify the claim, and al-Asbahi did not say what the Saudi warplanes had targeted.
The renewed fighting in Yemen has raised concerns for civilians and for shipping through the Red Sea, a route that has become more important after disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz since the US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran on February 28, triggering the war. Officials also said fuel shortages in Yemen were making it harder for people to flee and cross the Red Sea to Djibouti.
According to the UN refugee agency, more than 2,000 Yemenis are in Djibouti, while more than 100,000 others are displaced inside Yemen. Djibouti Finance Minister Ilyas M. Dawaleh said on X, "We cannot allow those who have sought refuge among us to suffer." UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said he had allocated USD 9 million from an emergency fund to help displaced people in Yemen and the communities hosting them.
The US military said it "forcefully responded" to two Iranian boats that were trying to steal a drone ship in waters off Iran. Capt Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said the drone was a Saildrone, a small craft that can operate on its own, and that CENTCOM has been using such vessels to monitor maritime traffic. Iranian state media had reported on Monday that two fishing boats came under attack in Hormozgan province and that several fishermen were missing.
In Iran, state television reported that civilians were being recruited to learn how to use assault rifles, in the second such drive since the US and Israel began their air war against Tehran. The volunteers are known as "Janfada", or "the ones who sacrifice their lives". The appeal came as tensions remained high amid faltering negotiations and threats by US President Donald Trump to restart the war with Iran.
In Gaza, local health officials said Israeli strikes killed seven people through the day and into Tuesday night, including two children. The strikes were reported in Gaza City, northern Gaza and Khan Younis. Hospital officials and the Health Ministry gave the casualty details. Israel's military said the first strike killed a Hamas commander, but did not respond to a request for comment on the other strikes. The heaviest fighting between Israel and Hamas has eased since the ceasefire last October, but health officials in Gaza say at least 1,375 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since then.
Also on Tuesday, Oman's Minister of Energy and Minerals Salim Al-Aufi called for alternative routes for liquefied natural gas to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, either through Oman or Yemen. Speaking in Bangkok, Abdul Rahman Al Yahyaei, chief executive of Oman's state-owned Integrated Gas Company, said the closure of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline "means more stress in the market, high prices for both gas and oil, and it means more disruption to global supplies". Separately, the US State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken to Oman's foreign minister about Muscat's efforts to salvage a US-Iran ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The day's developments underlined a widening regional crisis, with Saudi Arabia seeking Arab backing, fighting in Yemen deepening humanitarian and shipping risks, the US and Iran facing fresh tensions at sea, violence continuing in Gaza, and energy producers warning of growing strain on global oil and gas supplies.
