Current Wars in the World See Saudi Arabia Readying Yemen Offensive to Retake Bab el-Mandeb

Current wars in the world include Saudi Arabia preparing an offensive against Houthi forces in Yemen to reverse recent territorial gains along the Red Sea coast and retake control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Saudi Offensive Preparations Against Houthis

Saudi Arabia is preparing an offensive against Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen, with Riyadh weighing a limited coastal assault around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait or a broader multi-front operation. [2] According to Reuters, the offensive could be launched in the coming weeks and would be led by Yemeni forces and backed by Saudi air strikes. [2] The report, citing six people familiar with the preparations, said more than 100,000 Yemeni troops could be mobilised depending on the scale of the operation, while the timing remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from within a week to after the US midterm elections in early November. [2] The immediate objective of the planned offensive is to reverse the Houthis' rapid gains last month, when the group advanced down Yemen's Red Sea coast and seized control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. [2] Bab el-Mandeb is the southern exit of the Red Sea and a key shipping route between the Mediterranean and Asia. [2] The route has gained greater importance this year as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed by the Iran conflict. [2] Michael Ratney, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said he expected the operation to be more limited than the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen that began in 2015. [2] Ratney's assessment points to the immediate military objective being focused on the Red Sea coast rather than an attempt to defeat the Houthis across Yemen. [2]

Yemeni Forces Report Attacks in Taiz

Yemen’s armed forces say they carried out 71 attacks targeting Houthi gatherings, reinforcements and military buildups across several areas of Taiz province, Al Jazeera reported. [1] A Houthi military spokesperson said the operations targeting al-Aqrud, Samea, al-Ahkum, al-Akboush, Jabal Rasin, Jabal Jardad, Bani Omar, Bani Bakari, al-Kaawish and al-Athawir destroyed several Houthi transport and support vehicles and caused casualties among the group’s fighters. [1] Security forces of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government patrol a street and set up checkpoints in Taiz on 27 September 2026. [1]

Challenges for Saudi-Backed Ground Forces

The biggest challenge for Riyadh is the condition of the Yemeni forces that would lead the ground offensive. [2] The force is a collection of factions armed and trained by Saudi Arabia and the UAE rather than a unified military, and those groups have competing political and territorial interests. [2] Yemen analyst Mohammed Albasha told Reuters that many anti-Houthi forces are still “not organised or prepared” for the sustained offensive needed to push back the Houthis, who are applying pressure across several fronts. [2] The anti-Houthi camp was further fractured last winter when UAE-backed southern fighters clashed with Saudi-backed forces after trying to seize territory in eastern Yemen. [2] Ali Shihabi, a Saudi political analyst close to government thinking, also said the outcome would depend on the performance of the local forces, with the ground campaign moving from defending positions to going on the offensive. [2]

Allied Support Without Direct Combat

Saudi Arabia's allies are backing Riyadh mainly through intelligence, equipment and defensive support rather than direct combat in Yemen. [2] The United States, Saudi Arabia's most powerful ally, is providing military advisers and intelligence, including targeting information for Saudi air operations. [2] However, Reuters reported that President Donald Trump had previously rejected Saudi requests for direct US military support, including air strikes, leaving Riyadh to conduct the air campaign itself. [2] A separate pillar of Saudi security is the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey on August 7. [2] The pact says an armed attack on one of the three countries will be treated as an attack on all. [2] But Pakistan has so far stopped short of committing combat forces to Yemen. [2] Islamabad has instead sent air-defence systems, light artillery, drones and anti-drone equipment, while 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistani troops are deployed inside Saudi Arabia for border defence and missile and drone interception. [2] Turkey has also supplied military equipment and Turkish drones are being used over Yemen, while France has announced defensive systems and troops for the protection of Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port of Yanbu. [2] The military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey met in Riyadh on September 25 to discuss the situation, while Pakistan's foreign minister said on October 2 that the three countries would hold an emergency meeting in Riyadh next week. [2]

West Bank Violence Escalates in 2026

At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in the West Bank since the start of 2026, more than double the total from the previous year. [3] Israeli settlers killed a 19-year-old Palestinian in the West Bank village of Kobar, with two others injured in related settler violence and six Palestinians detained. [5] Israeli settlers killed 19-year-old Palestinian Bahaa Sami Amin Nathsheh in Kobar, north of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, citing the health ministry. [5] The ministry told Wafa that settlers opened fire at several Palestinians, wounding Nathsheh, who hails from Kafr Aqab town near Jerusalem. [5] Israeli forces then arrived at the scene and prevented Palestinian medics from providing treatment to the casualty, Wafa said, citing the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. [5] Another Palestinian was injured after being hit by a tear gas canisters in the head. [5] Two Palestinians were injured by settlers in Yabrud, east of Ramallah. [5] Wafa reported that the settlers, protected by Israeli forces, attacked the outskirts of the town before the residents attempted to confront the assailants. [5] Israeli forces detained six Palestinians from the occupied West Bank governorates of Jerusalem and Tubas, Wafa reported, citing Jerusalem Governorate and the Palestine Prisoner’s Society (PPS). [5]

Communal Clash in Nigeria

One person was killed and several injured in a communal land dispute clash between Aguleri and Umuoba Anam communities in Nigeria's Anambra State. [4] One person has been confirmed dead and several others injured following a fresh communal land dispute between Aguleri and Umuoba Anam communities in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State. [4] It was gathered that the clash, which occurred in the early hours of Friday, left some residents with gunshot and machete injuries, while a microfinance bank in Aguleri was also reportedly set ablaze during the violence. [4] Some residents in the communities blamed the incident on a longstanding land dispute between the two communities since 1999 and had previously attracted the intervention of the then Federal Government under former President Olusegun Obasanjo. [4] Confirming the incident, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Tochukwu Ikenga, said one person had died and that several people had sustained injuries of varying severity. [4] Ikenga said police officers had been deployed to the area to maintain peace and order. [4] According to him, the state Commissioner of Police, Nnanna Ama, led the Deputy Governor, Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, alongside other top government officials, security agencies and critical stakeholders to the area for an on-the-spot assessment of the crisis-affected areas of Aguleri and Umuoba Anam communities. [4]

What to watch next: The military chiefs of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey are set to hold further discussions, while Pakistan's foreign minister indicated the three countries would convene an emergency meeting in Riyadh next week.