Saudi Arabia and Houthis escalate attacks as Yemen conflict intensifies

Saudi Arabia says two of its international airports have been attacked. Officials say King Fahd International Airport in Dammam was hit while an earlier strike sparked a fire at King Khalid International Airport in the capital, Riyadh. Meanwhile, the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers have held talks on the phone. Tehran says it favors a political solution and is ready to help facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. While Riyadh's main international airport has come under attack for a second consecutive day. A strike on Saturday killed 12 people and injured more than 300, several of which are now in critical condition. Operations at King Khalid International Airport were suspended, causing widespread flight disruptions across the Gulf. The Ansar al-Houthis claimed responsibility for a series of attacks, including Saturday's deadly strike. Malik Trina has more details on the recent Houthi attacks. This is the second day in a row that attacks have happened. This is the kingdom's main aviation hub, the main airport for Saudi Arabia. I mean, disruptions across the Gulf. We've seen flight tracking information platforms saying that the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh is now the most disrupted airport across the globe. They recorded around more than 1,300 flight cancellations, more than 850 delays because of these attacks. Saudi embassies across the region in Qatar and Kuwait have offered Saudi citizens buses to return home because of these flight cancellations. You know, we talked about this is the fourth attack in just a week at the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. On Saturday, we saw wide condemnation from the Gulf and beyond with the UN Secretary General saying that attacks on civilian infrastructure violate international law and they should halt immediately. But this conflict appears to be escalating and these attacks are continuing. The Ansar Allah Houthis say the airport in the capital Sana'a has come under renewed attack. The airport has been targeted repeatedly since fighting escalated earlier this week following a government offensive to recapture Houthi-held territory. Heavy clashes have also been reported in the southwestern city of Taiz, near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Yemen's government released this video and it says that it shows airstrikes targeting Houthi positions as both sides battle for control of this area. Yusuf Mari is in the capital Sana'a with details on the ongoing fighting in Yemen. The key attacks have mainly focused on the battlefronts and this is mostly in southern Taiz, along the Red Sea coast, in places near the city of Al-Mukha, in places like the district of Dhubab and near Bab al-Mandab and also east of that on the outskirts of the city of Taiz. The Ansar Allah Houthis are currently engaged in an attempt to take over the actual city itself. Now, prior clashes and prior escalations and battlefronts were on the east or the western part of the city. Ansar Allah Houthis, they managed to advance and now they are pushing further. They've gained access and they've gained a gateway to the city of Taiz itself by their recent advancement over the mountain chains of the Jabal Sabr mountain. And this is a strategic mountain that oversees the entire area. Many experts believe that if the mountain is captured by the Ansar Allah group, it will only be a matter of time before the city of Taiz falls to the Ansar Allah Houthis, given this latest advancement by the group towards the city of Taiz. And if that is the case, it will be another major blow to the internationally recognized Yemeni government. Ansar Allah Houthis say Saudi airstrikes have hit the airport in the capital Sana'a. Footage broadcast by Houthi-controlled Al-Masira TV shows damaged buildings and blood-stained rubble. Saudi authorities have not commented on the reported attack as fighting between the two sides continues. And as we mentioned, Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers have held a phone call to discuss the escalating fighting between Riyadh and the Ansar Allah Houthis. Tehran says it's ready to help achieve a political solution between the two sides. In a statement posted on social media, Iran said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed concern over the escalation of tensions and emphasized that insisting on a military approach while disregarding political solutions would further complicate the current situation. Araghchi stressed that the region's existing crises have no military solution and that Iran is ready to facilitate dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen to help achieve a political solution. And Mohamed Val Jones is now live from Tehran. Mohamed, so Araghchi is now offering to facilitate this dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. What do we know? I mean, how would that actually work? Well, we don't know yet how it will play out, and we don't have also many or enough details from the Iranian authorities. It is late at night here, and usually it's the spokesman of the foreign ministry who gives clarifications, or we should brace for maybe more tweets or more lines on this from Araghchi himself. But we know that the conversation took place between the two ministers. not clear who initiated this conversation whether Saudi Arabia has asked Iran to intervene or to mediate or whether Iran has offered this mediation on its own so lots of questions are still there and whether Saudi Arabia has agreed if it is an offer from Iran so lots of things are unknown until now but we know that Iran has been demanding or has been calling on Gulf neighbors to come to some kind of mutual agreement on security matters including even in Yemen and also elsewhere instead of resorting as in the Iranian rhetoric resorting to foreign powers and here they are talking about the Americans and the Israelis to help solve problems in the region so this is this is understood in the framework of this Iranian position that has been consistent since the beginning of this war, and it is not clear yet whether this conversation and this offer will be followed by some action on the ground. Mohamed, we know that the Houthis are backed by Iran, so why is Araghchi now offering to mediate between Saudi Arabia and Yemen and the Houthis? What's he getting out of it? Well, I mean, it's very understandable that Iran, if it offers this mediation, The Saudis probably should listen to that because they say that Iran has a leverage with the Yemenis, particularly the Houthis. So, I mean, it should be understood in Saudi Arabia as a credible offer or maybe the opposite. Maybe the Saudis would say this is just a political game because you don't need even to initiate a kind of mediation. You just need to put pressure on the Houthis because that's the, I mean, has been the Saudi position that Iran has the capacity to curb the Houthis or to stop their action against Saudi Arabia. So it's a bit of a complicated situation there. Whether Iran has leverage with the Houthis is something that it is denying, saying that the Houthis have their independent decision. So it's not it's easier said than done in any case, whether Iran will be able to or the Saudi Arabia will accept this mediation or whether Iran also will be able to stop the Houthis. That's Al Jazeera's Mohamed Val joining us live from Tehran. Mohamed, thank you so much. Now, a big question is whether Washington will decide to take action in Yemen. The U.S. has previously indicated that it doesn't want to get involved in the Yemen conflict, while also demanding that Tehran ends its support for the Ansar al-Houthis. Speaking at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Yemen, U.S. Ambassador Jeff Bartos said Washington was gravely concerned by the latest Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. He said the pattern remains unmistakable. The Houthis act as instruments of Tehran to threaten freedom of navigation, undermine regional stability, and terrorize innocent civilians. We demand that the Houthis cease their attacks against the legitimate governments of Yemen and Saudi Arabia. And we demand that Iran cease all support to the Houthis. Scott Eulinger is a former senior CIA officer and now a foreign policy and military analyst. He believes Washington may delay further support for Saudi Arabia until after the U.S. midterms. Well, the United States has been supplying a lot of intelligence support. And certainly if it hasn't offered, for example, refueling support for Saudi aircraft, it probably will be offering that now. But I think what the administration is really afraid of right now is that should the United States become more involved, then the Houthis would in turn increase their attacks on shipping at the Straits of Bab al-Mandeb to not only include Saudi ships, but resulting in attacking all ships in the area. And so then we'd be looking at a shutdown of both straits. And so I think that is in the Trump administration's political calculus. I think that given the American political environment right now, I think that what probably is happening is President Trump is basically promising assistance to Saudi Arabia in the short term, but that it would probably start after the midterm elections. I think he wants to avoid any further broadening of the war to include the Straits of Bab al-Mandeb, which I think is quite possible if the United States intervenes. And so I think he's putting that off until after the midterm elections. And so he's offering assurances and support to the Saudi forces in the interim period.