Pakistan, Sept. 18 -- Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis exchanged fresh strikes on Thursday as fighting spread across the region. Yemeni civilians also fled by boat across the Red Sea to escape the violence. The escalation has raised fresh concerns about oil supplies and key shipping routes.

Houthi-controlled television reported Saudi airstrikes in Hajjah province near the Saudi border and the Red Sea coast. It also reported strikes around Taiz, further south inside Yemen. Meanwhile, Saudi civil defence said a Yemeni resident died after debris from an intercepted drone fell in Taif.

The death marked the first fatality Saudi Arabia has reported from repeated Houthi attacks since fighting intensified last week. Saudi authoritie...