Saudi-led coalition launches airstrikes on Yemen's Hodeidah

China

Saudi-led coalition launches airstrikes on Yemen's Hodeidah

2026-07-25 20:46 Last Updated At：22:47

The Saudi-led coalition said on Saturday that it had carried out strikes against Houthi-controlled military targets in Yemen's Red Sea province of Hodeidah, according to a statement released by the coalition's Joint Forces Command.

Coalition spokesperson Turki Al-Maliki said the operation was launched in response to what he described as Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, accusing the group of threatening maritime navigation along one of the world's most vital shipping routes. He emphasized that the latest operation did not target Hodeidah port, and that all Yemeni ports remain open and operational.

However, Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that Saudi strikes targeted telecommunications facilities in Hodeidah as well as the Red Sea island of Kamaran.

Also on the same day, multiple sites in southern Saudi Arabia came under attack, according to Yemen's Saba News Agency. Footage released by the state-run agency showed the aftermath, with thick plumes of smoke rising over the area following the strikes.

Saudi civil defense authorities issued several warnings about "a potential danger" on Saturday for residents of the port city of Yanbu, before lifting them later after the threat had passed.

Yemen's Houthi group announced on Monday a maritime ban on Saudi shipping and warned international shipping trading with Saudi ports may also be subject to targeting, marking a significant escalation of tensions.

On Thursday, the Houthis claimed to have attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea with missiles and drones for violating its shipping restrictions.

Foreign diplomatic envoys visit Hainan

A delegation of foreign diplomatic envoys visited south China's Hainan from Wednesday to Saturday, learning about the province's rapid development and exploring potential areas of cooperation.

The trip, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, brought together over 30 ambassadors, chargés d'affaires, representatives of international organizations, and senior diplomats from countries including Kenya, Serbia, Spain and Vietnam.

In Sanya's Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, the delegates gained insights into China's independent innovation in the seed industry and the country's agricultural technological transformation in response to climate change.

"We can invite a lot of the persons from this institute to come to Dominica to teach us some of the advanced technologies and the practices that we should employ in agriculture," said Martin Charles, Dominica's Ambassador to China.

The delegates also toured the innovative drug and medical device exhibition, as well as health and wellness institutions in the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone.

Hailed as China's sole "medical special zone", the pilot zone is home to over 30 top-tier domestic and international medical institutions.

"The medical advances are the ones that have struck me most for the moment. There are so many fields where we can cooperate," said Javier Garcia-Larrache, Spain's charge d'affaires ad interim in China.

The delegates also visited villages to experience folk culture, including Li brocade from the Li ethnic group, traditional Chinese medicine sachets, and bamboo pole dances, immersing themselves in the province's rich and vibrant local cultures.