Iran-US war latest: Houthis claim attack on Saudi base as military advance in Yemen intensifies

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Cite

Singh, N., & Reynolds, J. C. (2026, September 13). Iran-US war latest: Houthis claim attack on Saudi base as military advance in Yemen intensifies. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-us-war-latest-live-houthis-yemen-saudi-arabia-pipeline-b3049346.html

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The Independent · collected 2026-09-13 · by Namita Singh, James C. Reynolds

Quick Summary

Yemen's Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, claim they attacked weapons depots and command centers at a Saudi military base in Sharurah on Sunday, using both missiles and drones. This comes after recent advances by the Houthis to Yemen’s Red Sea coast, which have increased their ability to target shipping near the Bab-al Mandeb strait. The conflict has raised concerns about potential U.S. involvement due to its alliance with Saudi Arabia, pushing oil prices close to $100 per barrel. Additionally, an Iranian commercial ship was reportedly attacked off the coast of Iran near the Strait of Hormuz, leading to a fatality among crew members and renewed tensions in the region.
Written by AI on 2026-09-13, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed on Sunday that they had attacked facilities at a Saudi military base in Sharurah, southern Saudi Arabia. The group said its forces used both ballistic missiles and drones to target “weapons depots and command and control centers.” This attack comes after the Houthis made significant territorial gains along the Red Sea coast recently, increasing their ability to threaten shipping near the Bab-al Mandeb strait.

US President Donald Trump suggested that Iran was likely behind recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, including one that shut down a key oil pipeline. Oil prices rose to around $100 per barrel due to concerns about escalating tensions and possible US military intervention in support of its ally, Saudi Arabia, potentially extending the conflict with Iran for an additional six months or more.

Meanwhile, there was another incident involving Iranian shipping; an attack on an Iranian commercial vessel near the Strait of Hormuz resulted in one crew member’s death. The United States has previously conducted strikes against Iranian vessels to enforce sanctions and blockades on Iran's ports.

Written for “Iran Us Conflict Spillover Yemen” on 2026-10-28, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Iran Us Conflict Spillover Yemen
World · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans strongly right and hedges 17% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 2 of 19 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the broader Iran-US conflict: one reports on a specific attack by Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia, while the other discusses a future phase of the US-Iran war based on an interview with JD Vance.”
New York Post
Hedges 4 of 13 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different attacks at distinct times: an attack on a Saudi military base with missiles and drones, and the shooting down of a Saudi fighter jet using a missile.”
The Hindu
Hedges 0 of 7 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different attacks by Houthis on separate days and locations.”
NBC News
⚖️ Leans right further left than this Hedges 5 of 26 claims Outlet record 95/100
“The articles describe different events: Article A reports on Houthis seizing control of Yemen's Red Sea coastline, while Article B covers a subsequent claimed attack by Houthis on Saudi Arabian military facilities in retaliation for ongoing attacks.”
NBC News
⚖️ Leans right further left than this Hedges 8 of 30 claims Outlet record 95/100
“The articles describe different events: one about a drone attack on an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia and another about Houthi rebels claiming an attack on a military base.”
CBC News
⚖️ Leans right further left than this Hedges 4 of 33 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different attacks: one on a Saudi oil pipeline allegedly by Iraqi militias and another on a military base in Saudi Arabia claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels.”
Al Jazeera
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles describe different attacks at distinct locations involving different targets and actors.”
The Bulwark
⚖️ Leans right further left than this Hedges 1 of 10 claims
“Article A describes attacks on an oil pipeline, while Article B reports on Houthi claims of attacking a military base.”
The Straits Times
Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A reports on an attack on Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline attributed to Iran by Trump, while Article B discusses a separate claim made by Yemen’s Houthi rebels about hitting a military base in Saudi Arabia.”
CBS News
Hedges 27 of 164 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different aspects of the broader conflict involving Iran, Houthis, and Saudi Arabia but do not refer to the exact same incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
53
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
17%
9 of 53 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans strongly right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
World
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-13 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 3271 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Namita Singh
25 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Though his party has conceded defeat in Sunday’s election, Bolsonaro has refused to accept the result of the vote and fled the country after the Trump administration announced it would give him and his family visas.
🔮 Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to president Volodymyr Zelensky, rejected that claim, arguing the restrictions would have made it “physically impossible” for Ukraine to use Starlink in the types of strikes he described. “It is very strange that Elon Musk is unaware of the operational limitations of Starlink in Ukraine,” he said noting, that Starlink’s civilian system in Ukraine “does not function over the territory of Russia”.
🔮 Such attacks could wreck supply chains or make businesses’ payment systems fail, he said, while natural risks such as flooding and wildfires also pose a threat.
🔮 Providing an update to the media on behalf of their family, he said her road to “recovery will be long and difficult, but we know she is fighter.”
🔮 According to Mayo Clinic, it is characterised by motor issues, sensory changes, as well as autonomic dysfunction.
🔮 “There was a deliberate act, it would appear.
🔮 Asked whether he would meet Putin and Xi without Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump said he would do "anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody is there or not".
🔮 Before losing her job, she had been expected to travel to China with Mr Trump next month for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen.
🔮 “This Act could have helped enormously – and still can!
🔮 British troops to take part in major Ukraine-facing wargame next month British troops are set to take part in a major wargame in Poland.
Also by Namita Singh
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 25 articles by Namita Singh →
James C. Reynolds
52 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies are on track to win the most seats in Israel’s parliament, despite weeks of polling predicting he would not survive Tuesday’s election.
🔮 Israel’s longest-serving prime minister was on course to win 53 seats in parliament between his Likud party and allies on the right, well ahead of the 48 forecast for the opposition bloc of rival Gadi Eisenkot.
🔮 An inconclusive result would leave Israel in political limbo after the country’s first national election since the October attack in 2023.
🔮 Netanyahu, 77, boasted of his endorsement from Donald Trump on the eve of the election, suggesting that the US president was willing to “finally remove the Iranian threat” but only so long as Netanyahu himself remains in power. But the White House said that the United States would not be attacking Iran “at any time prior to the midterm elections” in November.
🔮 Israelis are set to vote on October 27 in the first national elections since the deadly October 7 attacks, and the devastating Gaza war that followed.
🔮 As many as 70,000 police and gendarmes will be mobilised throughout France to keep order on Saturday, with unions and political parties calling for renewed anti-government protests, after demonstrations last week led to curfews in several cities and thousands of arrests.
🔮 Shopkeepers in Paris have stocked up on self-defence weapons amid fears that planned demonstrations this weekend could turn violent, according to a report.
🔮 The French Interior Ministry also has not addressed whether its agents used the phrase, but did tell the New York Times that enforcement officials may use online personas to speak with people suspected of organising unlawful activities during protests.
🔮 “And when I landed, I felt safe and relieved - I would finally see my family soon.
🔮 Witkoff thanked him for the goodwill gesture.
Also by James C. Reynolds
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 52 articles by James C. Reynolds →

Topics

Houthi Iran Saudi Saudi Arabia Yemen

Subjects

Iran GPE · 8× Houthi NORP · 7× Saudi NORP · 5× Yemen GPE · 5× Israeli NORP · 4× Hamas ORG · 3× Iranian NORP · 3× Saudi Arabia GPE · 3× Sharurah GPE · 2× Yahya Saree PERSON · 2×

Narrative

Trump says Iran probably behind attack on Saudi Arabia Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran was probably responsible for the aerial attack on Saudi Arabia that shut down its East-West pipeline, one of the kingdom's main routes for exporting crude while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. "I think they are, probably they are," Trump told reporters in Dublin when asked if Iran was responsible for the attack on the vital oil conduit.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-13
🔮 Saree claimed that a joint ballistic missile and drone attack hit its targets and warned of wider measures if the Saudi attacks on Yemen continue. The escalation follows a lightning Houthi advance to the Red Sea coast this week, giving the group greater power to attack Saudi ships around the Bab-al Mandeb strait. Oil hovered around $100 per barrel on Sunday amid growing fears the clashes could drag in the US to help its ally in Riyadh, prolonging the six-month conflict with Iran to the east. Separately, a crew member was killed early on Sunday when an Iranian commercial ship was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media.

Claims (53 extracted, 9 hedged)

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed on Sunday to have struck facilities at a military base in Saudi Arabia as the burgeoning conflict threatens to throw the region back into chaos. asserted
conflict → claim → chaos
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said that the Iran-backed group had targeted “weapons depots and command and control centers” at the southern Sharurah base. asserted
group → say → base
Saree claimed that a joint ballistic missile and drone attack hit its targets and warned of wider measures if the Saudi attacks on Yemen continue. The escalation follows a lightning Houthi advance to the Red Sea coast this week, giving the group greater power to attack Saudi ships around the Bab-al Mandeb strait. Oil hovered around $100 per barrel on Sunday amid growing fears the clashes could drag in the US to help its ally in Riyadh, prolonging the six-month conflict with Iran to the east. Separately, a crew member was killed early on Sunday when an Iranian commercial ship was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian media. uncertain
ship → claim → media
There has been no statement so far from the US military, which has previously struck Iranian vessels to enforce its blockade of the country's ports. asserted
which → strike → ports
At least two killed in Israeli strike in Gaza, witnesses say An Israeli airstrike on Sunday killed at least two Palestinians in a vehicle and wounded 13 others in the Gaza Strip, medical staff said. asserted
staff → kill → Strip
The strike in the Tel Al-Hawa neighbourhood in western Gaza City, left the vehicle mangled, according to footage circulated on social media. uncertain
strike → leave → media
Local medical staff told Reuters that they urged people to provide information that could help identify the two people who were killed and whose bodies were dismembered by the explosion. uncertain
bodies → tell → explosion
The Israeli military said the strike targeted two Hamas militants, without giving further information. Explained: asserted
strike → say → information
The US has made progress in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but the Iran war is far from over asserted
war → make → Hormuz
In recent weeks, the United States has succeeded in loosening Iran's grip over the Strait of Hormuz while virtually shutting down Iran's own oil exports, accelerating its economic free fall. But the war launched by the U.S. and Israel in February — intended to last a few weeks — is still far from over, and the stalemate is costly for both sides. asserted
stalemate → succeed → sides
An agreement reached in June quickly crumbled, with so sign of diplomatic progress since then. asserted
agreement → reach → progress
Low-level fighting persists, and the U.S. does not seem to have an exit strategy. asserted
U.S. → persist → strategy
The mounting economic pressure on Iran has yet to stoke an uprising, and if its leaders are backed into a corner, they may opt for military escalation rather than capitulation. uncertain
they → mount → escalation
Their Houthi allies in Yemen have meanwhile stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia, helping to push oil prices back up. asserted
allies → step → prices
Here’s the state of play after nearly seven months: asserted
state → ’ → months
Houthis claim strike on Saudi military base Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed on Sunday to have struck facilities at a military base in Saudi Arabia as the burgeoning conflict threatens to throw the region back into chaos. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said that the Iran-backed group had targeted “weapons depots and command and control centers” at the southern Sharurah base. Saree claimed that a joint ballistic missile and drone attack hit its targets and warned of wider measures if the Saudi attacks on Yemen continue. uncertain
attacks → claim → Yemen
The escalation follows a lightning Houthi advance to the Red Sea coast this week, giving the group greater power to attack Saudi ships around the Bab-al Mandeb strait. asserted
escalation → follow → strait
Oil hovered around $100 per barrel on Sunday amid growing fears the clashes could drag in the US to help its ally in Riyadh, prolonging the six-month conflict with Iran to the east. uncertain
clashes → hover → east
Report: Hamas 'planned to carry out attacks in European capitals last year' asserted
Hamas → plan → capitals
Hamas planned to carry out terror attacks in European capitals last year to mark the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks in Israel, according to an indictment filed by Germany’s federal prosecutor. uncertain
Hamas → plan → prosecutor
The Palestinian group reportedly intended to carry out attacks on Israeli and Jewish ‘interests’ in Berlin and Vienna around October 7 2025, according to the indictment, as seen by German broadsheet Die Welt. uncertain
group → intend → Welt
It was said to have been backed by “an international weapons-procurement network” that moved pistols, a rifle and ammunition through Europe. asserted
that → say → Europe
The plot is claimed to have come undone just days before the attacks were due to be carried out, as German authorities swooped on three suspects in Berlin during the handover of a cache of weapons that prosecutors say were intended for the operation. asserted
prosecutors → claim → operation
Federal prosecutors in Germany last year said they had arrested men linked to Hamas who were suspected of planning attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets in Germany. asserted
who → say → Germany
Trump says Iran probably behind attack on Saudi Arabia Donald Trump said on Saturday that Iran was probably responsible for the aerial attack on Saudi Arabia that shut down its East-West pipeline, one of the kingdom's main routes for exporting crude while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. "I think they are, probably they are," Trump told reporters in Dublin when asked if Iran was responsible for the attack on the vital oil conduit. asserted
Iran → say → conduit
The president also said that he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom he described as a "good friend." asserted
he → say → friend
Trump added that Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis had called his administration and indicated they did not want the United States to become directly involved in the conflict. asserted
States → add → conflict
“There's just one country that they're not too happy with, and we'll get that straightened out," Trump added. asserted
Trump → be → that
There have been no talks between the United States and Iran to end the conflict since a June agreement that collapsed within weeks. asserted
that → end → weeks
In a post on X on Saturday, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament's national security committee, said: "As long as the American side does not accept all of Iran's conditions, dialogue and negotiation are of no use." asserted
dialogue → say → use
Iran's foreign ministry announced on Friday that Iran would be attending a meeting with Gulf Arab states in Oman on Monday, at which the future of the Strait of Hormuz would be discussed. asserted
future → announce → Hormuz
But a senior Iranian official, speaking to Reuters on Saturday, played down the chances of a breakthrough, saying the meeting, called at Oman's initiative, was intended to discuss issues including the strait but was not expected to yield a signed agreement. asserted
meeting → speak → agreement
Oman has not officially announced the meeting, and other Gulf countries have remained silent. asserted
countries → announce → meeting
Bahrain said on Saturday it would not attend meetings with Iran. asserted
it → say → Iran
China accused of handing Iran intel for strike on Jordan air base Chinese ‘entities’ may have supplied Iran with high-resolution satellite images of a US military base in Jordan ahead of a strike that killed three troops in July, according to a report. uncertain
that → accuse → report
Three soldiers were killed and four injured at the overnight strike at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base on 17 July. asserted
four → kill → July
US officials told the Wall Street Journal that the alleged handover of images represented the most clear evidence so far that Chinese support for Iran had had lethal consequences for US forces. asserted
support → tell → forces
China has repeatedly dismissed Washington’s concerns, refusing to acknowledge that any Chinese companies are engaged in such activity, the officials said. asserted
officials → dismiss → activity
Emerging story: Iranian commercial ship is struck near Strait of Hormuz Iranian state media reports that one person was killed after an Iranian commercial ship was struck near the Strait of Hormuz. There was no immediate comment from the US military, which previously struck Iranian-flagged ships during its blockade of ports. asserted
which → strike → ports
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitor separately reported a vessel was hit by a projectile while transiting the strait, with no details. asserted
vessel → report → details
…and 13 more, not listed.
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