DUBAI/CAIRO, 10 September, 2026 (Nosheen): The Middle East war intensified on Tuesday as Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen launched strikes on several Saudi cities, while U.S. forces destroyed multiple Iranian oil tankers and Iran targeted a U.S. military base in Jordan. The Houthis attacked four cities in southern Saudi Arabia, wounding 73 people and setting oil installations ablaze in what appeared to be a major escalation of the six-month-old conflict. The U.S. military’s Central Command said it destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers on Tuesday, describing the strikes as a response to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeting a U.S. Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the previous two days. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran would continue to lose tankers whenever it attempted to attack U.S. naval vessels. Iran subsequently retaliated with a ballistic missile attack on a U.S. base near Al Azraq in Jordan, according to an IRGC statement carried by Iranian state media. Iran said the attack caused heavy damage, while Jordan reported that its air defences intercepted 18 of the 20 Iranian missiles, with two landing in unpopulated areas and no casualties reported. Iran has targeted U.S. allies across the region during the conflict, including Jordan, while the IRGC also claimed to have attacked two U.S. destroyers. Iran further threatened to target oil tankers in Kuwaiti and Bahraini ports, while a maritime security source said a liquefied natural gas tanker was damaged at the Emirati port of Khor Fakkan, although responsibility remained unclear. The renewed fighting has pushed Brent crude oil prices to their highest level since July 23, with prices rising further after the attack on Jordan, although they remained below $100 per barrel. The conflict has been marked by repeated pauses and flare-ups, with Iran continuing to launch missile and drone attacks and threaten oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis also said they had launched a broad operation deep inside Saudi Arabia, using drones and missiles to target a Saudi airbase in Khamis Mushait and oil facilities in Abha, Najran and Jazan. Saudi authorities reported fires at the sites and said women and children were among the 73 people injured, making the attacks among the most significant against Saudi Arabia since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February.