Airstrikes targeted two districts in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, around midnight, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels said Monday, blaming Saudi Arabia for the attacks. Riyadh did not immediately comment on the claim.
Meanwhile, two Indian sailors went missing after a drone struck a commercial tanker in the Strait of Hormuz area, India’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.
The two were among 11 Indian crew members aboard the MT PETRO DOLPHIN when it was hit on Sunday, the ministry said.
Airstrikes target Yemen’s capital
The Houthis reported airstrikes on Sanaa’s Hamdan and Thourah districts as tensions between the Iran-backed rebels and Saudi Arabia continued to escalate.
The rebels’ media centre said the strikes took place around midnight Monday but provided no further details. It blamed Saudi Arabia for the attacks, which came as the Houthis continued launching missiles and drones towards Saudi airports.
Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to the allegation.
Two Indian sailors missing after tanker attack
India’s Foreign Ministry said a drone struck the MT PETRO DOLPHIN in the Strait of Hormuz area on Sunday, leaving two of the 11 Indian sailors aboard missing.
A second vessel, the Marshall Islands-flagged MT VALTHERA, was also hit by an unidentified projectile, sparking a fire onboard. However, all 11 Indian sailors on the tanker were safe, the ministry said.
India’s Embassy in Muscat was coordinating with Omani authorities and the vessels’ management companies to locate the missing crew members.
The ministry condemned the attacks, saying repeated strikes on commercial shipping in the region were “deeply concerning and risk further aggravating an already volatile situation.”
UAE official urges joint Gulf action
Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the rulers of the United Arab Emirates, on Monday called for joint Gulf action to defend regional countries against attacks by Iran and its allied groups.
Gargash said Iran and its allies had wrongly assessed that Gulf Arab countries were “the weakest link” in the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Tehran and its allies have repeatedly attacked Arab countries across the Persian Gulf.
In a social media post, Gargash said the Gulf states were all targets and that their security was indivisible. He added that attacks on Saudi Arabia also threatened the security of the UAE and all Gulf countries.