India, July 26 -- Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they fired missiles and drones on Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea city of Hodeida, in another escalation over vital shipping routes in the Middle East while the United States and Iran continue to vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Brig Gen Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesman, said in a prerecorded statement on Saturday that the attack targeted facilities of Aramco, the world's largest oil company, in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom's civil defense said alerts sounded multiple times early on Saturday in Yanbu and Jizan. There were no reported strikes overnight i...