Saudi Arabia warns it will respond 'firmly' to Houthi attacks, as oil prices surge

Saudi Arabia warned on Tuesday it will react "firmly" to Yemen's Houthis, after a series of attacks carried out by the pro-Iranian rebels using ballistic missiles and drones wounded 13 civilians in the country's south.

The Houthis have been engaged in renewed fighting with Saudi-backed government forces since Yemen's civil war reignited in July, when the group declared a maritime blockade on Riyadh and began targeting its ships in the Red Sea.

The group seized control of Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait last week, which has become vital as the wider US-Iran war chokes the Strait of Hormuz, in a significant blow to Yemeni government forces.

It has also targeted the oil infrastructure of Saudi Arabia, the world's leading crude exporter, pushing oil prices above the US$100 ($140) threshold.

A Houthi strike in western Yemen on Monday killed eight soldiers from government forces, according to two military sources.

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The Houthis claimed a new "large-scale" attack using "dozens of ballistic missiles and drones" against the King Khalid airbase in Khamis Mushait, in southern Saudi Arabia.

A Khamis Mushait resident told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency he heard "intense blasts" which left fires burning for a "long time".

The Saudi-led coalition confirmed on Tuesday there had been missile and drone attacks the previous day on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif, reporting 13 wounded.

Saudi Arabia responded with more than 50 strikes, as it had the day before, according to the Houthis.

The coalition said it would deal with the attacks "firmly to protect the sovereignty of the Kingdom" and would take "all necessary operational measures to deter this ... hostile and extremist approach".

Hazem al-Assad from the Houthis' politburo said the "Yemeni response will continue and escalate as long as they (Saudi Arabia) persist in their aggression against our people".

In the early hours of Tuesday, Saudi civil defence issued air-raid alerts in six regions, before lifting them.

The renewed fighting in Yemen comes as the wider regional war remains at a stalemate. But US President Donald Trump said on Monday he was open to holding talks with Iran.