Houthi Forces Target Yemen Highlands to Secure Red Sea Gains in Current Wars in the World

Houthi fighters are advancing to seize strategic highlands in Yemen's Taiz and Lahij provinces to secure their control of the Red Sea coast and Bab al-Mandeb Strait, amid renewed fighting with Saudi-backed forces that has killed nearly 700 people and displaced over 110,000 in the context of current wars in the world. [2] [5]

Current Military Advances by Houthis

Houthi fighters were pushing to seize strategic heights in Yemen on Monday to cut off the Red Sea coast from remaining areas held by Saudi-backed forces. [2] A lightning advance by the Iran-backed group this month has extended the wider Middle East conflict to a new theatre and further threatened global energy supplies. [2] The Houthis, who have controlled Yemen’s capital since 2014, seized the country’s Red Sea coast this month in a lightning advance that routed forces of an internationally recognised Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia and based in the south. [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 centred 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 mouth of the Red Sea that the fighters captured last week and the government’s base in Aden. [2] The Houthis aim to secure the rear of their forces around the Bab al-Mandab Strait leading into the Red Sea by taking control of the heights, which would allow them to open new fronts, according to the sources. [2] That would help protect exposed positions the Houthis captured during their advance around Dhubab on the Red Sea and on Perim Island in the strait. [2]

Saudi Response and Airstrikes

Saudi Arabia has launched hundreds of strikes in recent days on the fighters’ positions in the highlands, according to the Houthis. [2] The air power advantage has so far done little to slow the advance of the fighters as Saudi-backed government forces have melted away. [2] Saudi Arabia has responded with scores of airstrikes on Houthi-held areas but has failed to stop the fighters' advance in Yemen. [5] On Sunday, the attack on Riyadh was not mentioned in several major Saudi papers, even though hours beforehand, the Riyadh-led coalition had confirmed that a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis was "successfully intercepted and destroyed." [5] The coalition added that the pro-Iranian fighters had tried to target "civilians and civilian infrastructure" in several cities in the west of the kingdom, including the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, an important export hub for Saudi oil. [5]

Houthi fighters advance to seize strategic highlands in Yemen's Taiz and Lahij provinces. — Source: newsmax

US Position and Reported Strike Cancellation

Washington has so far rebuffed repeated pleas from Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to join the fight in Yemen. [2] The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had prepared on Sunday to launch airstrikes 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 immediately verify the report and the US military’s Central Command did not respond to an email seeking comment. [2] The United States warned that fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis could "escalate rapidly" after a missile attack targeted Riyadh for the first time since the Yemen conflict resumed. [5] According to US news platform Axios, Washington refused last week a Saudi request to strike the Houthis, and Fox News reported Sunday that Trump had said the Houthis have agreed not to hit US targets. [5]

Humanitarian Impact and Displacement

According to the United Nations, nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands injured in the flare-up in fighting. [2] More than 120,000 Yemenis have fled homes within Yemen, and thousands more have fled by boat across the Red Sea to Africa. [2] Rapidly escalating hostilities along Yemen’s western coast and southern Taiz frontlines have displaced nearly 94,000 people, a 135 percent increase in displacement since 8 September. [4] In recent weeks, the Houthis' lightning offensive seizing swathes of Yemeni territory has left hundreds dead and, according to the UN refugee agency, displaced more than 110,000 people. [5] Women and girls are among the most vulnerable and urgently need health and protection support. [4]

Houthi fighters advance toward strategic highlands in Yemen's Taiz and Lahij provinces. — Source: reliefweb

Energy Market Disruptions

The Houthis’ newfound control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait risks cutting off the main alternative route that Saudi Arabia has used for oil exports that bypass disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. [2] Saudi Arabia has responded by increasing shipments through Hormuz, where a small number of tankers are increasingly shuttling back and forth to bring out oil with their transponders off, charging record fees of as much as a quarter of the value of the cargo to brave the wartime risk. [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, partially making up for a halt to Saudi loadings at its Red Sea port of Yanbu. [2] That has helped put a cap on the global price of crude oil, which has retreated closer to $100 a barrel after approaching $110 last week. [2] But consumers and industry are still paying record prices for refined fuels. [2] The US retail price of diesel, politically sensitive for Trump with midterm elections in six weeks, hit another all-time high on Monday above $6.51 a gallon. [2]

Regional Diplomacy and the Mecca Pact

A major focus of the discussion was the so-called Mecca Pact, reportedly involving Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan. [1] Condemning the Houthis' latest attacks, Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told the broadcaster NTV that his country had discussions with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, partners in a mutual defense pact, about possible assistance. [5] "In this regard, military needs, especially in state technical matters, may happen. There would be no problem in meeting this demand either," he said. [5] The underlying idea appears to be that, as the United States becomes a less dependable security guarantor in West Asia, regional Sunni powers could create their own framework for collective influence and defence. [1] For India, which imports roughly 85 percent of its crude-oil needs, prolonged disruption in these waters is not an abstract geopolitical concern. [1] India’s immediate public posture has been to call for restraint and de-escalation. [1]

What to watch next

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is due to fly on Tuesday to New York to attend the UN General Assembly, the first such visit since Trump launched “Operation Epic Fury” against his country alongside Israel in February. [2]