US staff ferried out of Iraq

BAGHDAD: Helicopters ferried United States staff from the American embassy in Baghdad yesterday out of apparent concern about perceived threats from Iran, which US sources believe encouraged Monday’s attacks on four oil tankers in the Gulf.

The sabotage of the tankers and Saudi Arabia’s announcement on Wednesday that armed drones hit two of its oil pumping stations have raised concerns Washington and Teheran may be inching towards conflict.

The Saudiled military coalition in Yemen yesterday carried out several airstrikes on the Houthiheld capital Sanaa, after the Iranianaligned movement claimed responsibility for the drone attacks on Saudi oil installations.

The Sanaa strikes targeted nine military sites in and around the city, residents said. The Houthirun Masirah TV channel reported six airstrikes.

Saudiowned broadcaster Al Arabiya quoted a coalition statement as saying the Sunni Muslim alliance had launched an operation aimed at ‘‘neutralising the ability of the Houthi militia to carry out acts of aggression’’.

It urged civilians to avoid those target areas, and there were no immediate reports of casualties.

The United Arab Emirates said yesterday that the Westernbacked coalition, of which it is a main member, would ‘‘retaliate hard’’ for any Houthi attacks on coalition targets.

The Sanaa airstrikes and escalating violence in Yemen’s Hodeidah port that breached a United Nationssponsored truce in the Red Sea city, could complicate peace efforts to end the fouryear war that has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

The conflict is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis deny being puppets of Teheran.