Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed new attacks on a Saudi Arabian oil refinery Thursday, as the US-Iran war threatened to expand further.
The strikes could impact the kingdom’s efforts to maintain shipping volumes amid ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, Bloomberg reported. Riyadh is weighing support for a new ground offensive in Yemen, The Media Line reported, which an already-stretched Washington could be obligated to support.
The kingdom hasn’t yet called upon new “Mecca Pact” treaty partners Türkiye and Pakistan for support, and Islamabad has only “offered Riyadh statements of solidarity and no soldiers,” commentator Bobby Ghosh noted. Still, the treaty could herald an end to the “US-led order” in the region, a Council on Foreign Relations expert argued.