The Iran War
State of the Union: Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly asked Saudi Arabia for permission to join its campaign against the Houthis.
Photo by LOU BENOIST / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels traded strikes Monday and Tuesday, disrupting regional travel and endangering energy infrastructure.
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Saudi Arabia retaliated for weekend attacks on the Riyadh airport, which prompted some regional airlines to suspend service to the Saudi capital, with a Tuesday strike on a Houthi oil facility in Sanaa. The Houthis threatened counterstrikes on Aramco facilities. The rebel group continued its encirclement of Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city.
Haaretz reported that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Saudi Arabia through intermediaries for permission to join the campaign against the Houthis. According to the report, the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is hesitant to greenlight the proposal because he believes it will play poorly with the Saudi public.
The Yemen campaign has kept energy markets tight, along with continued Iranian operations around the Strait of Hormuz. UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that Sunday a record six vessels were struck in the Persian Gulf. Brent crude opened Monday after the long weekend at $106 per barrel. AAA reported a national average price per gallon of $4.34 for regular gas and $6.28 for diesel.