Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi forces have launched drone strikes targeting four Saudi cities, according to Legit.ng, igniting oil installations and releasing video of the attacks. The escalation comes amid rising tensions in the Gulf and a broader Middle East conflict, pushing Brent crude prices above $99 per barrel. Saudi Arabia, described as a top United States ally, has faced repeated Houthi attacks on its energy infrastructure in past years. The reported strikes signal a further intensification of regional hostilities.

A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition said that Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have wounded 73 civilians. According to the official, the Houthis targeted civilian sites in the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran. The statement, reported by Al Jazeera, attributes the casualty figures and the claims about the locations struck to the coalition spokesperson, and no independent confirmation of the figures was provided in the report.

Fighting between Saudi Arabia and Houthi forces in Yemen has escalated, according to Al Jazeera. Saudi Arabia has promised firm retaliation after Houthi strikes reportedly injured 73 people and disrupted energy facilities in southern cities. The report examines what happened in the latest confrontation and what may come next, as tensions threaten to deepen the long-running conflict linked to Yemen's civil war.

TimesLIVE has published an explainer profiling the Houthis, a group described as Iran's allies in Yemen. The piece comes amid renewed conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, which has raised fears that the fighting could contribute to wider instability across the Middle East. The explainer aims to outline who the Houthis are and their relationship with Iran, providing background context for readers following the escalating tensions in the region.

Houthi rebels in Yemen accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out an airstrike on a prison in the northern city of Hazm in Jawf province, killing seven people, including a child, according to the group. The strike on the Central Corrective Facility reportedly wounded at least seven others, including a woman. The accusation comes amid escalating tensions between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces.

Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have launched strikes against Houthi positions on Yemen's western coast, intensifying their counteroffensive against the group, according to Al Jazeera. The reported escalation marks a renewed push by forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognised government against the Houthis, who control much of the country's north including the capital Sanaa. The fighting adds to the long-running conflict in Yemen, which has drawn in regional powers and caused a severe humanitarian crisis.