Energy stocks were higher Tuesday afternoon, with the NYSE Energy Sector Index and the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) each adding 2.1%.

The Philadelphia Oil Service Sector Index was rising 2%, and the Dow Jones US Utilities Index was down 1%.

Crude oil prices jumped as a Tehran-aligned militia group continues to pull Saudi Arabia into the Iran war. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis launched a new wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia and were digging into positions on the western coast of Yemen along the Red Sea, Yemeni officials said, as urgent deliberations took place in Riyadh over how to respond to their lightning advance, according to a Reuters report.

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported that the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps has shot down another US-developed MQ-1 drone over Hormuz, Al Jazeera, a Middle Eastern broadcaster, said. This is the third such drone downed in the area on Tuesday, the report said, citing the IRGC.

Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil jumped 5% to $106.47 a barrel, and the global benchmark Brent crude contract added 3.2% to $109.07 a barrel. Henry Hub natural gas futures increased 0.2% to $2.92 per 1 million BTU.

In corporate news, an ExxonMobil (XOM) executive said disruptions and shortages of liquefied natural gas supplies from the Middle East are expected to be short-term, Reuters reported Tuesday. Andrew Barry, chairman of LNG market development at ExxonMobil, said at an industry event in Thailand that the company views the current disruptions as temporary, while underscoring the region's long-term importance, according to the report. ExxonMobil shares were up 2.5%.