US weighs Iran strike and pulls diplomats over alleged plotsSaudi strikes and Houthi missile fire escalate Yemen conflictFrench marches stay largely calm by day, then clashes bring nearly 1,000 arrestsIsrael razes Hebron neighbourhood and plans West Bank lockdownBrazil's run-off between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro ends in a dead heatToll disputed after gunmen attack village in Nigeria's Taraba StateSerbia votes in snap election as student list rivals Vučić's partyUkrainian drones hit Russian industry as strikes kill civilians on both sidesKenya reports second Ebola death as Congo starts Bundibugyo vaccine trialIsrael's opposition rallies for October 7 inquiry as Netanyahu's crypto plan is rebukedJordan church attack toll rises to nine as gunmen remain at largeStarlink speeds restored in Ukraine as Musk accuses Kyiv of breaking termsCost-of-living unrest spreads to Spain as Italian protests stay smallKim Jong Un makes unannounced visit to Chinese border city of DandongFrance to release strategic diesel stocks as debt worries mountEight injured as Albanian protests against Rama continue in TiranaRubio urges Cubans to partner with CIA as Havana calls the appeal desperateTrump announces Audi plant in Georgia and lifts some Canada tariffsOil reserves at lowest since 1982 as Iran war lifts pricesTesla-SpaceX merger and Anthropic share pledge fuel debate over AI wealthPentagon targets Confucius Institutes as China protests wider US investment curbsTyphoon Champi kills one in Taiwan, then batters eastern ChinaIndonesia cuts gas exports to Singapore amid haze disputeOil slick off UAE closes beaches after tanker reportedly hit a mineChina's $3.5tn stock rout traps investors as Beijing restricts economist's accountTrappes shooting suspect had Mein Kampf and booby traps at home; mother arrestedBulgaria votes for president after deadly Black Sea drone strikesRemains found in Haiti may be those of missing Salvadoran soldiersCredit stress and AI fears weigh on markets as Treasury yields fall on the weekMoonshot restricts hacking ability of new Kimi modelFire hits Hitler's former 'Eagle's Nest' retreat in Bavaria, suspect arrestedStrong earthquake off Vanuatu prompts tsunami alertOver 2,000 flee ethnic clashes in southern Ethiopia into KenyaCloudflare chief warns of more PHP-scale dangers after critical flawsSeven feared trapped after building collapses in NairobiNew York Archdiocese agrees $800m settlement with over 1,300 abuse survivorsDangote refinery listing nears close as fuel prices surgeFrasers takes control of Hugo Boss with stake above 50%China launches new remote sensing satellite groupsUS weighs Iran strike and pulls diplomats over alleged plotsSaudi strikes and Houthi missile fire escalate Yemen conflictFrench marches stay largely calm by day, then clashes bring nearly 1,000 arrestsIsrael razes Hebron neighbourhood and plans West Bank lockdownBrazil's run-off between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro ends in a dead heatToll disputed after gunmen attack village in Nigeria's Taraba StateSerbia votes in snap election as student list rivals Vučić's partyUkrainian drones hit Russian industry as strikes kill civilians on both sidesKenya reports second Ebola death as Congo starts Bundibugyo vaccine trialIsrael's opposition rallies for October 7 inquiry as Netanyahu's crypto plan is rebukedJordan church attack toll rises to nine as gunmen remain at largeStarlink speeds restored in Ukraine as Musk accuses Kyiv of breaking termsCost-of-living unrest spreads to Spain as Italian protests stay smallKim Jong Un makes unannounced visit to Chinese border city of DandongFrance to release strategic diesel stocks as debt worries mountEight injured as Albanian protests against Rama continue in TiranaRubio urges Cubans to partner with CIA as Havana calls the appeal desperateTrump announces Audi plant in Georgia and lifts some Canada tariffsOil reserves at lowest since 1982 as Iran war lifts pricesTesla-SpaceX merger and Anthropic share pledge fuel debate over AI wealthPentagon targets Confucius Institutes as China protests wider US investment curbsTyphoon Champi kills one in Taiwan, then batters eastern ChinaIndonesia cuts gas exports to Singapore amid haze disputeOil slick off UAE closes beaches after tanker reportedly hit a mineChina's $3.5tn stock rout traps investors as Beijing restricts economist's accountTrappes shooting suspect had Mein Kampf and booby traps at home; mother arrestedBulgaria votes for president after deadly Black Sea drone strikesRemains found in Haiti may be those of missing Salvadoran soldiersCredit stress and AI fears weigh on markets as Treasury yields fall on the weekMoonshot restricts hacking ability of new Kimi modelFire hits Hitler's former 'Eagle's Nest' retreat in Bavaria, suspect arrestedStrong earthquake off Vanuatu prompts tsunami alertOver 2,000 flee ethnic clashes in southern Ethiopia into KenyaCloudflare chief warns of more PHP-scale dangers after critical flawsSeven feared trapped after building collapses in NairobiNew York Archdiocese agrees $800m settlement with over 1,300 abuse survivorsDangote refinery listing nears close as fuel prices surgeFrasers takes control of Hugo Boss with stake above 50%China launches new remote sensing satellite groups
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Narrative thread · 8 events

Saudi-Houthi conflict

Symbolic image: Saudi-Houthi conflictSymbolic image

Where things stand

Riyadh has begun planning its multinational naval force for the Bab el-Mandeb, while Saudi ships already reroute around Africa; the Houthi leader rallied crowds in Sana'a as the blockade held, and Yemeni reports point to a possible ground offensive.

The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthi movement in Yemen, and its air campaign periodically targets sites the coalition describes as Houthi military installations. Hodeidah, on Yemen's Red Sea coast, is one of the country's main ports and features in this episode as the location of the strikes reported by Folha de S.Paulo. The Red Sea is a corridor for commercial shipping, and The National reports that attacks by the rebels on a vessel there preceded the latest strikes. Reporting on such exchanges typically relies on statements from the combatants, so individual claims about targets and outcomes are often difficult to verify independently.

Timeline in detail

Saturday, 1 August 2026Geopolitics

Saudi Arabia plans Red Sea naval coalition as Houthis tighten blockade

Saudi Arabia held the first planning session on Thursday for a proposed maritime defence coalition to secure the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden, and Bloomberg reported that Saudi ships are now avoiding the chokepoint and sailing around Africa. Tehran Times reported that the Ansarullah leader spoke to hundreds of thousands in Sana'a's Sab'een Square on Friday as Yemen locked in its naval blockade, while The National linked a growing Houthi presence in Iraq to an attack on the kingdom.

Friday, 31 July 2026GeopoliticsSaudi Arabia forms multinational Red Sea shipping coalition

Saudi Arabia forms multinational Red Sea shipping coalition

Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday a multinational maritime defence coalition, joined by dozens of states including Egypt and Turkey, to protect shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait against Houthi attacks. Yemeni sources told The Guardian that Riyadh is at the same time concentrating forces for a possible major offensive by sea and possibly by land against the Houthis in central Yemen.

Thursday, 30 July 2026GeopoliticsHouthis strike Saudi ships as Riyadh seeks Red Sea coalition

Houthis strike Saudi ships as Riyadh seeks Red Sea coalition

Houthi forces struck several Saudi vessels in the Bab al-Mandab strait, which Le Monde reports has become even more important since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and Breitbart reports the group is considering charging shipping "fees" for safe passage. Saudi Arabia is seeking international partners for a coalition to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea, according to two people familiar with the deliberations cited by Daily Sabah, as attacks on energy tankers push oil prices higher.

Wednesday, 29 July 2026GeopoliticsHouthis say they struck Saudi tanker NCC Ghazal in the Red Sea

Houthis say they struck Saudi tanker NCC Ghazal in the Red Sea

The Houthis said they fired ballistic missiles at the Saudi oil tanker NCC Ghazal in the Red Sea, and their spokesman Yahya Sarea said the vessel was forced to change course, part of the group's declared naval blockade of Saudi shipping. Iran's ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, said the Houthis will decide for themselves, at the appropriate time, whether to strike US bases alongside Iran.

Tuesday, 28 July 2026GeopoliticsSaudi Arabia intercepts drones from Iraq as Houthi attacks cut Red Sea traffic by half

Saudi Arabia intercepts drones from Iraq as Houthi attacks cut Red Sea traffic by half

Saudi Arabia says it shot down drones launched from Iraqi territory at oil facilities in its Eastern Province and at Riyadh, blaming Iran-backed militias and reserving the right to respond. Yemen's Houthis separately claimed drone strikes on the pipeline infrastructure carrying crude from eastern Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Shipping data show traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb strait has fallen by 56 percent since the Houthis declared an embargo on Saudi-linked vessels on July 20.

The NationalThe GuardianAl Jazeera

Monday, 27 July 2026GeopoliticsHouthi blockade halts Saudi oil exports through Bab al-Mandeb; crude reroutes via Suez

Houthi blockade halts Saudi oil exports through Bab al-Mandeb; crude reroutes via Suez

After the Houthis declared a maritime embargo on Saudi shipping and struck two tankers in the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia has loaded no crude for export through the Bab al-Mandeb strait from its west coast, according to Kpler data cited by The National. Cargoes for Asian buyers are instead moving through the Suez Canal, a route that adds weeks and cost. The rebels also claim to have hit Aramco sites at Jizan and Yanbu, a claim neither the Saudi government nor Aramco has confirmed.

The NationalRzeczpospolitaReuters

Sunday, 26 July 2026GeopoliticsHouthis claim missile and drone attacks on Saudi Aramco sites after Hodeidah strikes

Houthis claim missile and drone attacks on Saudi Aramco sites after Hodeidah strikes

Yemen's Houthi movement said on Saturday it had fired missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu, calling it retaliation for Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Hodeidah the night before. Saudi air defences intercepted two ballistic missiles from Yemen and emergency alerts were issued in both cities, but Riyadh has not confirmed any damage. The exchange follows a Houthi declaration of a naval blockade of the kingdom and comes as the Red Sea becomes a second disrupted shipping corridor alongside the Strait of Hormuz.

The NationalThe GuardianTelesur

Saturday, 25 July 2026GeopoliticsSaudi-led coalition strikes Houthi targets in Hodeidah

Saudi-led coalition strikes Houthi targets in Hodeidah

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it carried out air strikes on Friday against Houthi military installations in the port city of Hodeidah, according to Folha de S.Paulo. The National reports the strikes followed rebel attacks on a vessel in the Red Sea.