The American Times News | Economy, Geopolitics, Calculators

The reported Houthi missile attack toward Riyadh on September 19, 2026, marked a new phase in the latest Saudi-Yemen escalation. Saudi authorities said their air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh. Residents in the capital reported hearing loud explosions, while Reuters footage showed a large smoke plume in the area around King Khalid International Airport. No casualties or confirmed damage in Riyadh were reported from the intercepted missile itself.  The significance of the incident goes beyond whether the missile reached its intended target. Riyadh is far from Yemen's southern border, while Yanbu sits on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast and has become increasingly important as an alternative outlet for oil while traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted. At the same time, fighting inside Yemen has intensified. Houthi forces have advanced along parts of the Red Sea coast, including the strategic port city of Mokha, raising fr...

A reported Houthi attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Red Sea in early August briefly pushed crude prices higher and renewed concerns about the vulnerability of energy shipping around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The incident came amid a broader deterioration in maritime security across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where attacks, blockades and rerouting decisions have added another layer of risk to already strained global energy markets. Although the August 5 tanker strike was not independently confirmed by Saudi Arabia, the market reaction showed how quickly shipping-security headlines can influence oil prices.  Red Sea Tanker Attack Revives Shipping-Security Concerns Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on August 5 that they had attacked the Saudi-flagged tanker Wafaa with ballistic missiles off Yanbu, while also claiming a separate attack on another Saudi tanker in the Gulf of Aden. Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm either incident, so the claims should be treated as att...

The Houthi movement has intensified its attacks and threats against shipping in the Red Sea, turning the waters around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into a renewed maritime security concern. The escalation has included attacks on vessels linked to Saudi Arabia, while the group has declared a maritime blockade targeting Saudi-linked shipping. The developments have raised fresh concerns for commercial operators using a route that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Suez Canal trade corridor. Red Sea Shipping Faces a Renewed Houthi Threat One of the clearest recent developments came on August 24, when the Houthis said they had attacked a Saudi-linked vessel near Yanbu in the northern Red Sea. Britain’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that a tanker about 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu had been hit by an unidentified projectile and caught fire. Saudi Arabia’s national shipping company Bahri later confirmed that its vessel, the Amzan , had been attacked and...