The Saudi-led coalition on Friday launched a military operation north of Yemen's port city of Hodeidah against what it described as "legitimate military targets," an incident that could aggravate regional tensions after a weekend attack on Saudi oil installations.

The coalition said it had destroyed four sites used in assembling remote-controlled boats and sea mines to help protect the freedom of maritime navigation.

"These sites are used to carry out attacks and terrorist operations that threaten shipping lines and international trade in the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the southern Red Sea," coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Malki said in a statement.