US issues security alert to its citizens in Middle East

The United States has warned its citizens across the Middle East to exercise heightened vigilance amid the escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and the anti-government Houthi group in Yemen, which is backed by Iran.

The Middle East is also seeing intermittent exchanges of attacks between Iran and the US, as well as the worsening situation around the Red Sea, an alternative route for the Strait of Hormuz.

The US State Department issued the security alert for American citizens in the Middle East on Saturday.

It says the targets of Houthi hostilities include civilian airports. It says this military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly and US citizens outside the Middle East should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region.

On Saturday, the Houthis said in a statement that they had targeted sensitive sites in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh and state-run oil company Saudi Aramco's facilities in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast, using a large number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. It asserted that the operations had been "successful," claiming that they resulted in massive fires.

Coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, said they had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Houthis at Riyadh.

The exchange of attacks between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis could have a serious impact on the global energy supply, raising concerns about a further escalation of the situation.