A wave of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia caused fires at energy facilities in the kingdom and wounded more than 70 people, marking a significant escalation by the Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels. The Saudi energy ministry said attacks on Tuesday led to the “temporary halt in some operations”, adding that specialised teams were working to contain fires at several locations and assess the damage. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 1.7 per cent to $98.60 on Tuesday.

The Houthi strikes, which targeted facilities in four southern cities in Saudi Arabia, appeared to be one of the biggest rebel attacks on the kingdom in years and underlined how a conflict that had been relatively calm is returning to full-blown war. Major General Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for a Saudi-led coalition, said 73 civilians were wounded in attacks on “civilian and economic sites” in the southern Saudi cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran. He described the attacks as a “dangerous escalation” and said the coalition would “take all necessary measures and actions to respond to the sources of the threat and neutralise its danger”.

The Houthi military said on Tuesday that it carried out a “large-scale military operation” targeting Aramco facilities in several Saudi cities and an air base in “response to the enemy’s crimes”, according to Houthi-run Al Masirah TV channel.