Houthis

By Sabiu Abdullahi

United States naval personnel and marines aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli have reached the Middle East, according to an announcement by the Central Command on Saturday.

The vessel serves as the flagship of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group/31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. It carries about 3,500 troops along with transport and fighter aircraft.

The deployment is expected to strengthen the U.S. military presence in the region. Washington is reportedly weighing the possibility of launching a ground operation around Iran’s key oil export hub and the Hormuz Strait.

Reports indicate that the U.S. is considering steps to secure Iran’s nuclear materials. Other options under review include a possible seizure of Kharg Island, an invasion of Larak Island near Hormuz, and control of Abu Musa and nearby islands. Additional strikes on nuclear and energy facilities are also being considered.

At the same time, Yemen’s Houthi forces have declared their involvement in the conflict. The group said it carried out its first operation using ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets.

“Our operations will continue until the declared goals are achieved,” a spokesperson vowed on Saturday. “We will continue until the aggression stops on all fronts.”

Meanwhile, Iran continued retaliatory actions against Gulf countries over the weekend. Two drones struck Oman’s Port of Salalah. The incident left one worker injured and damaged a crane.

Authorities in Kuwait reported that multiple drones hit the country’s international airport, affecting its radar systems. Emirates Global Aluminium also confirmed that Iranian strikes impacted its Al Taweelah facility in Abu Dhabi.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian criticized the situation. He said it was unfortunate that “the territories of some Muslim countries” are being used to attack Iran. He accused Israel of attempting to widen the conflict across the region.

The president also stated that Iran has been “attacked twice during negotiations,” adding that the “bombing infrastructure and assassinating Iranian figures show that the aggressors cannot be trusted.”

His remarks came after Israel launched fresh strikes on two nuclear-related facilities in Iran. The targets included a heavy-water production plant in Khondab and a yellowcake production site in Ardakan.

Russia also reacted to the developments on Saturday. Moscow accused Iran’s opponents of escalating the conflict “despite related risks, including a threat of large-scale radioactive contamination.”

The country called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to address what it described as a “grave threat.” It added that the attacks breached international law and should attract strong condemnation from the global community.

Aljazeera News agency reported that the authorities in Saudi Arabia say they have intercepted three ballistic missiles targeting the country’s oil-rich eastern region as well as the cities of Najran and Jazan in the south.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday’s attacks, but the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen blamed the Iran-aligned rebel group. There were no reports of casualties.

A source familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency that the missile aimed at the eastern region was intercepted over the city of Dammam.

Shrapnel from the missile scattered over the Dammam Suburb neighbourhood, injuring two Saudi children, while 14 homes suffered light damages, the official SPA news agency said, citing a statement by the defence ministry. Earlier, the coalition also reported the interception of three explosive-laden drones headed towards Saudi Arabia.

The attacks come four days after a drone hit Abha International Airport in the south, wounding eight people and damaging a civilian plane.

Yemen’s Houthis regularly launch drones and missiles into the kingdom, including aerial attacks aimed at Saudi oil installations. An attack in September 2019 on two Saudi Aramco plants in the east temporarily knocked out half the country’s oil production.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters there was no impact on facilities belonging to state-controlled oil giant Aramco on Saturday and that the attack happened outside of Aramco facilities.

“The Ministry of Defense will take the necessary and deterrent measures to protect its lands and capabilities, and stop such hostile and cross-border attacks to protect civilians, in accordance with international humanitarian law,” the ministry said in a statement according to SPA.

The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015, backing forces of the deposed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi fighting the Houthis.

The grinding conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions, resulting in what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

While the UN is pushing for an end to the war, the Houthis have demanded the reopening of Sanaa airport, closed under a Saudi blockade since 2016, before any ceasefire or negotiations.