Current Wars in the World See Houthi Push for Yemen Highlands After Trump Called Off Strikes

Houthi fighters are advancing to seize strategic highlands in Yemen to cut off the Red Sea coast from Saudi-backed government forces, amid a surge in fighting that has displaced over 120,000 people and escalated the wider Middle East conflict in current wars in the world. In the past month, Iran-backed Houthis seized Yemen's Red Sea coast in a rapid advance, prompting Saudi Arabia to launch hundreds of air strikes; the Houthis have responded with drones and missiles targeting Saudi cities and infrastructure. [2]

Houthi Advance on Strategic Highlands

Houthi fighters pushed to seize strategic heights in Yemen on Monday to cut off the Red Sea coast from remaining areas held by Saudi-backed forces. [2] The Houthis, who have controlled Yemen's capital since 2014, seized the country's Red Sea coast this month in an advance that routed forces of the Saudi-backed government. [2] Saudi Arabia has launched hundreds of strikes in recent days on the fighters' positions in the highlands, the Houthis say. [2] Five Yemeni military sources told Reuters the Houthis were now seeking to seize strategic heights, known as the Kahboub Mountains, in two provinces, Taiz and Lahij, which separate the Red Sea coast from the government-held south. [2] Fighting has centered on the outskirts of the remote mountain Al-Wazi'iyah district in Taiz province, and Ras al-Ara along the Indian Ocean coast between the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the Red Sea's mouth and the government's base in Aden, the sources said. [2] "The government forces appear to remain largely in a defensive posture following the loss of the Bab el-Mandeb area, while the Houthis are seeking to maintain the momentum of their advance, despite being exposed to intensive air strikes," said Mohammed Al-Qadhi, a veteran Yemeni journalist now working as a political analyst. [2] "These mountains could become critical to determining whether the Houthis succeed in consolidating their recent territorial gains or whether government forces will be able to retain the positions necessary to mount a counteroffensive." [2]

Civilian Flight Across the Red Sea

In just the last few days more than 3,000 refugees have arrived in Djibouti from Yemen, many entire families. [1] The UN estimates that in all, more than 120,000 Yemenis have been displaced by the sudden surge in fighting along Yemen's Red Sea coast. [1] Ibrahim Issa, 50, is from the Yemeni coastal town of Dhubab. [1] "How could I just sit there when my kids are screaming and shaking in terror?" says Ibrahim Issa. [1] "When the sound of the planes start, and the kids hear the planes, they begin shouting and screaming. As parents it is our responsibility, what can you do when you see this? That is why we fled, to save them." [1] Qassim Abraham Abssy, once a fisherman whose identity card shows him to be 100 years old, said: "What led us to come here? It was the planes. The sounds of the planes, boom! That's what made us flee, for the sake of our children. It burns ours hearts. We don't know which side they are from. They are bombing everywhere, because the Houthis are everywhere, in the mountains, in the roads. A plane comes, bombs everywhere." [1] "We don't care which side it is that's attacking," is the message from everyone at the camp. [1] "It's the bombs falling all around us that have caused us to flee." [1]

Trump Reportedly Cancels Strikes

The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had prepared to launch airstrikes on Sunday against the Houthis after fresh pleas from the Saudi crown prince. [2] But the newspaper said Trump called off the airstrikes at the last minute, even as troops were loading bombs onto aircraft. [2] Reuters could not verify the Times' report. [2] The US military's Central Command referred questions to the White House. [2] The White House did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. [2] Rashid al-Alimi, the Riyadh-based president of Yemen's Saudi-backed, internationally recognized government, asked Trump by phone on Sunday for US military help, four sources told Reuters. [2] Two of the people, one Yemeni and one Western, said Trump made no direct pledge of support during the call. [2] The US has so far rebuffed repeated pleas from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to join the fight in Yemen. [2] The US bombed the Houthis for two months in early 2025, but Trump called off those strikes after reaching a ceasefire, and has kept out of the Yemen conflict since. [2]

International Military Support for Saudi Arabia

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday he had agreed to Saudi Arabia's request to provide defensive air-to-air refueling for a limited time, a move he described as helping to stabilize the wider region. [2] Britain and Saudi Arabia have been close military allies for decades, with Britain serving as one of the kingdom's largest arms suppliers. [2] A French diplomatic source said Paris was ready to help secure Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure in Yanbu on the Red Sea coast and the East-West pipeline corridor. [2] The surge in fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis creates a dilemma for Trump, under pressure to help Saudi allies but anxious not to further expand the deeply unpopular war he launched alongside Israel as "Operation Epic Fury" in February against Iran. [2]

Oil Export Risks and Global Energy Impact

The Houthis' Red Sea advance risks cutting off the main alternative route Saudi Arabia has used for oil exports that bypass disruption through the Strait of Hormuz. [2] Saudi Arabia has responded by increasing shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, where a small number of tankers are increasingly shuttling back and forth to bring out oil, charging record fees of as much as a quarter of the cargo's value to brave the wartime risk. [2] Traders say Saudi Arabia has sold 60 million barrels of oil both this month and next, to be loaded from off Oman on the far side of Hormuz. [2] Satellite data shows Saudi exports through Hormuz reaching 2.9 million barrels per day in recent days, up from just 700,000 in August. [2] That has helped cap the global price of crude, which has retreated closer to $100 a barrel after approaching $110 last week. [2] But consumers and industries are still paying record prices for some refined fuels, with the US retail price of diesel hitting another all-time high on Monday. [2] In the latest reported attack in Hormuz, Britain's UKMTO maritime security agency said a ship sailing into the strait had been hit with a projectile, causing minor injuries to crew. [2] It also said it had learned of an earlier strike on a gas tanker. [2]

Human Cost and Uncertain Return

According to the United Nations, nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands injured in the fighting. [2] A shaky, UN-brokered 2022 truce between the Saudis and the Houthis has broken down spectacularly in recent months, with the two sides trading missiles, drones and air strikes. [1] Yemen has been wracked by a horrific civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions since 2014. [1] "We are willing to go back in peace if peace returns to our country," says Aisha Abdulkadir Mohammed. [1] "We are praying to God that peace does return. All we need is peace, even for our children's future, they get safety first, then food, water and an education." [1] Qassim Abssy the fisherman is wary of leaving the safety of Djibouti: "If the war continues then we're not going back because we have peace here." [1]

What to watch next: Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian is due to fly to New York on Tuesday to attend the UN General Assembly. [2]