Saudi Arabia’s civil defence issued emergency alerts for several cities on Tuesday, including Yanbu, Jeddah, Taif, Abha and Jazan.
U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Republican congressman Wesley Hunt, a US Army veteran, as his new ambassador to Saudi Arabia — a post that had been left vacant amid the war with Iran. 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.
“Having served in the region both in combat as an Army officer and for two years as a diplomatic liaison in the Kingdom, I understand the strategic importance of the partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia and the profound responsibility of this position,” Hunt said in a post on X.
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 U.S.-Iran war chokes the Strait of Hormuz, in a significant blow to Yemeni government forces. In a first-of-its-kind mandatory report to Congress, the inspector said that between February 28 and June 30, Operation Epic Fury (OEF) had an estimated cost of $33.4 billion, with $22.3 billion of that spent on expended munitions alone.
An Iranian atomic official on Monday (September 14, 2026) accused the United States of “malicious” behaviour and “bullying” after Tehran said the U.S. officials had blocked it from a conference of the United Nations ‘ nuclear energy agency.
