Middle East tensions rise amid fresh strikes

Sustained tensions in the Middle East kept the region on edge on Tuesday as Yemen's Houthis and the Saudi Arabian-backed forces traded strikes overnight, while a super oil tanker caught fire as it attempted to cross a "forbidden" route in the Strait of Hormuz.

The incidents prompted Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Civil Defense to issue alerts about "potential danger" in the cities of Khamis Mushait and Abha on Tuesday, but the agency announced minutes later that the danger had passed. Other areas where alerts were issued included Jeddah, Taif, Jazan, Yanbu and AlUla.

The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's internationally backed government said on Tuesday that 13 civilians were injured in what they claimed were Houthi attacks on civilian targets in Saudi Arabia on Monday using ballistic missiles and drones, according to Turki Al-Malki, spokesman for the coalition, who added that the attacks also damaged seven houses and two vehicles.

Al-Malki said the coalition's joint forces command would respond to the attacks "responsibly and firmly" to protect Saudi sovereignty and deter the Houthis, as he described their approach as "hostile and extreme".

On Monday, the Houthi group said it had launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia, saying it was in retaliation for more than 300 Saudi airstrikes that they said had targeted Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen in recent days.

The United Nations said that more than 100,000 people have been displaced by escalating fighting in Yemen in recent days, with many forced to flee for the second or third time.

The UN Security Council was expected to meet on Tuesday after the Houthis seized control of the Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait last week, multiple media outlets reported, citing diplomatic sources.

Vital waterways

The Bab al-Mandeb, a shipping waterway that links Europe and Asia via the Red Sea, has become increasingly vital as the United States and Iran wrestle over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Gokhan Ereli, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Ibn Haldun University in Turkiye, told China Daily that the tactics employed by the Houthis, which are maritime harassment, drone warfare and most importantly asymmetric pressure, are not inherently new to the equation.

Iran and the Houthis "operate in a complementary partnership based on converging interests", he said.

Meanwhile, the navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Monday evening that the supertanker El Gaia, which was attempting to traverse a restricted zone south of the Strait of Hormuz, exploded after hitting naval mines, Mehr News Agency reported.

Efforts to contain the fire proved unsuccessful, leaving the entire tanker engulfed in flames, according to the report, which noted that warnings about the risks of the illegal route had been issued previously. The IRGC insists the strait is blocked and remains under its smart surveillance and control.

But the US Central Command rejected the IRGC claims as "false". CENTCOM said the Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia was struck by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable.

Also, the IRGC said it intercepted and destroyed a fourth MQ-1 drone in several days, over the eastern Strait of Hormuz using its new advanced aerospace air defense system on Tuesday. No further details on the drone's mission or origin were immediately provided.

US President Donald Trump said he is "open" to the "concept" of negotiating a deal with Iran, but also said he "will determine whether or not the (US) will choose to engage". Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, rejected the "mixed" signals from Trump.

"Don't get distracted by the US president's mixed signals — from 'no negotiations' to 'we're ready to talk'. The stakes around oil and the straits have changed. Damage control won't stop what's coming. No talks until Iran's conditions are met. Period!" wrote Rezaei in a post on X.

Meanwhile, South Korean civic groups marched through central Seoul to oppose a possible deployment of South Korean forces to the Strait of Hormuz.

The groups expressed concern after the Defense Ministry recently sent a fact-finding delegation to the United Arab Emirates to examine conditions related to a possible South Korean deployment.