Current Wars in the World Expand as Houthi Gains Frustrate Saudi and US Officials

Current wars in the world are expanding as Houthi rebels have seized more ground in Yemen, displacing more than 112,000 people and widening the Middle East conflict as the US declines direct military intervention against the Iran-backed group.

Houthi Advances Displace Over 112,000 in Yemen

More than 112,000 people have been displaced in Yemen amid Houthi advances that include seizure of a strategically important Red Sea island. [2] Pro-Houthi demonstrations erupted in Yemen after Saudi Arabia accused the military group of targeting the Muslim holy site of Mecca. [1] Dramatic recent advances by the Iran-backed Huthis have dealt another blow to a region reeling from the US war with Iran and exacerbated an already severe global energy crisis. [2] US officials acknowledge the Yemeni rebel group is advancing with the goal of ultimately asserting control over the critical Bab al Mandeb Strait. [2]

US Limits Role to Intelligence Support

The US is providing intelligence and targeting support to Saudi Arabia but has set a red line against direct kinetic strikes on the Houthis, with Trump stating the group does not want to fight the US. [2] President Donald Trump has made clear that his current red line is direct US participation in kinetic strikes against the Huthis. [2] To date, US military support has been strictly providing intel and targeting data for Saudi strikes. [2] “No offensive strikes,” said a US official. [2] “The Huthis called us and they don’t want to fight with us,” Trump said in remarks to reporters in Ireland last weekend. [2] “They don’t want us to go after them and would much prefer not having us involved and they’re letting most ships go through.” [2] “It’s just one country they’re not too happy with,” Trump said, referring to Saudi Arabia, “and we’ll get that straightened out.” [2] The US “solidified the ceasefire” with the Huthis during a meeting in Oman this weekend, the US official said. [2]

Saudi Efforts Fall Short Despite Backing

Saudi Arabia has been unable to stop Houthi advances despite a decade of training Yemeni government forces and recent US assistance, frustrating officials in the Gulf and US. [2] Even with additional US intelligence and targeting support, Saudi Arabia has not been able to effectively stop the Huthis from taking key coastal towns in Yemen, frustrating Gulf and American officials. [2] Sources who spoke with CNN expressed doubt that the Saudis would be able to stop the Huthis on their own. [2] After about a decade of training the Yemen government’s military, the Kingdom had assured US officials that they were confident in their ability, two sources told CNN. [2] Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces started fighting the Huthis, who are supported and trained by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), more than a decade ago during Yemen’s brutal civil war. [2] Saudi strikes, backed by US intelligence and precision targeting, have prevented the militia from exercising a firm command over some of the territory they have taken, but advances have not been wholly rebuffed. [2]

Link to Broader Iran Conflict and Regional Fallout

Houthi actions are viewed by some sources as a new front in the Iran war that is complicating negotiations including those over the Strait of Hormuz, leading to cancellation of a GCC-Iran meeting. [2] Many Gulf sources believe the offensive represents a new front in the Iran war that could prolong the conflict. [2] “The Huthis’ Red Sea push is emboldening the IRGC. The Saudis have to get this fixed, otherwise they are negotiating with a gun on the table and they won’t do that,” said Joey Hood, a former US ambassador who spent much of his career working in the Middle East. [2] “Iran is in an existential battle now and pulling on all of their proxies to fight. The Huthis are not remote-controlled by Iran but they need fuel from them. So, the Huthi statements of why they are carrying out this offensive now are not a complete reflection of reality,” said Hood. [2] The situation in Yemen has complicated the other negotiations, including those over the Strait of Hormuz. [2] A first meeting between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and Iran since the US-Iran war began was canceled earlier this week. [2] “Due to the Huthi attacks and the situation near the Bab-el-Mandeb corridor, it’s affecting the Strait of Hormuz deal,” a regional source told CNN. [2] “The Saudis are demanding an all-or-nothing approach, which is understandable, but it delays the process.” [2]

Separate Clashes Displace Nigerians to Cameroon

Separate deadly violence between herders and farmers in Nigeria's Mambilla Plateau has displaced hundreds to Cameroon, with a curfew imposed and calls for investigation. [3] Hundreds of residents of Mbamnga in the Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State have fled to neighbouring Cameroonian communities following deadly attacks that left several people dead, including security personnel. [3] The refugees, mostly women and children from Wuro Geroji, a suburb of Mbamnga, fled across the border after machete-wielding militias targeted their homes. [3] Community leaders reported that roughly 502 displaced persons had been registered as of Friday across Cameroonian border villages, including Ntong, Fa’am Mfe, Nwa, and Yang. [3] Local government authorities have imposed a 24-hour curfew on Mbamnga to restore order and stem further violence. [3] Tension escalated last Saturday following a fatal altercation between a cattle herder and a farmer. [3] Among those killed were an elderly woman, Hajja Mbamnga, and her son, Shuaibu Bammi, who was slain while trying to protect her. [3] The lawmaker representing Mbamnga State Constituency in the state House of Assembly, Abel Diah, called on the security agencies to act immediately to secure affected communities and investigate the cause of the crisis. [3]

Context of Renewed Fighting After Truce

A 2022 UN-brokered truce had brought a period of relatively low levels of hostilities between the two sides. [2] However, the fighting has resumed and intensified in recent weeks. [2] The Saudis accused the Huthis of targeting Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, and the Huthis claim to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet. [2] Last year’s US military campaign against the Huthis also laid bare the limits of American firepower – as months of bombing failed to effectively dislodge the group’s foothold inside Yemen and ended with an abrupt US-Huthi ceasefire. [2] “The Huthis have the advantage of having this really deep and productive relationship with the (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) which has trained them and taken them up several notches from the hard-scrabble kind of cave fighters that they were 12 years ago to a force that can really be quite devastating,” said Barbara Leaf, a former US diplomat. [2] “The Huthi have spent a lot of time in the last months preparing their forces for just this kind of move,” she continued. [2]

What to watch next: The administration designated the Huthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in March 2025, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke twice with Trump last week to ask for US strikes against the Huthis, and that request so far has been rebuffed with sources saying it is hard to tell if the administration policy will shift.