Yemeni Government Forces Seize Strategic Mountain in Southern Taiz in Current Wars in the World
Reporting based primarily on index.hr.
Yemeni government forces seized a strategic mountain in southern Taiz from the Houthis, killing more than five Houthi fighters in the clashes, even as Houthi forces captured the entire Yemeni Red Sea coast in an 18-hour offensive that has escalated their conflicts with Saudi Arabia and Israel in current wars in the world. [1] [2]
Government Forces Capture Mountain in Taiz
Yemeni government forces seized a strategic mountain in southern Taiz. [1] More than five Houthi fighters were killed in the clashes as the troops captured tactical high ground. [1] This development comes amid broader fighting that has seen Houthi forces make rapid gains elsewhere in Yemen. [2] The capture of the high ground provides government troops with an immediate tactical advantage in the southern Taiz area. [1] Reports indicate the clashes resulted directly in the deaths of more than five Houthi fighters during the operation. [1]
Houthi Coastal Offensive Escalates Multiple Conflicts in Current Wars in the World
Houthi forces seized the entire Yemeni Red Sea coast and reached the Bab el-Mandeb strait within 18 hours. [2] This advance dealt a heavy blow to the Saudi-backed Yemeni government. [2] Analysts described the Houthi advance as the most significant regional development since the US and Israel declared war on Iran in February. [2] The speed of the 18-hour offensive allowed Houthi fighters to take control of the full coastline in a single push. [2] The move has raised the level of confrontation with both Saudi Arabia and Israel. [2]
Historical Roots of the Saudi-Houthi War
The roots of the conflict with Riyadh extend back to 2004, when the Shiite Ansar Allah movement, known as the Houthis, first took up arms against then-Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh. [2] The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of financing and directing his campaign against their community in the northern Saada province. [2] After the Houthis exploited a wave of discontent over corruption in 2014 to seize the capital Sanaa and force the president to flee to Aden, Saudi Arabia entered the war at the head of a coalition of Arab states. [2] The official goal was to restore the recognized government, though the intervention also stemmed from fears of an Iranian foothold on its southern border and a desire to secure control over Bab el-Mandeb. [2] The war remained stalled for a full decade despite a 2022 truce, and the current escalation marks its most intense continuation. [2]
Houthi Actions Against Israel and Link to Gaza
Houthi attacks on Israel-linked shipping began after the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. [2] The Houthis had long used the slogan known as al-Sarkha, which includes calls against America and Israel, but this remained largely symbolic until 2023. [2] Following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, the Houthis began firing missiles and drones toward the Israeli port city of Eilat and attacking ships in the Red Sea in what they described as solidarity with Gaza. [2] In the following months they struck Tel Aviv with one missile that killed one person, while other projectiles were intercepted by Israeli, American, and French air defenses. [2] A Gaza ceasefire in October 2025 temporarily calmed the attacks, but fighting between Israel and Iran that resumed this year prompted the Houthis to renew the blockade of Israel-linked ships in June. [2]
Impact on Global Oil Trade and Prices
Control of Bab el-Mandeb, through which 12 percent of global trade passes, has sharply reduced Saudi oil shipments through the strait. [2] Since Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia increased the capacity of its pipeline from Abqaiq fields to Yanbu port on the Red Sea from five to seven million barrels per day. [2] This shift meant 21 percent more Saudi oil now heads toward Bab el-Mandeb compared with before the war. [2] Saudi crude oil traffic through the strait fell in August to about 400,000 barrels per day, while the number of transits dropped 60 to 70 percent as shippers avoided the route, with the latest escalation bringing an additional 46 percent decline. [2] Analyst Helima Croft of RBC Capital Markets warned that maritime traffic through Bab el-Mandeb is seriously threatened by the Houthi advance and estimated that full war could push Brent to nearly 122 dollars by the end of the year. [2] Goldman Sachs sees potential growth toward 120 dollars if the conflict drags into 2027, while Bank of America expects a range of 95 to 125 dollars by year-end. [2]
Iranian Role and International Reactions in Current Wars in the World
Iran has supplied weapons and ballistic missiles that have enabled the Houthis to build an advanced arsenal. [2] Analyst Mohamad Elmasry of the Doha Institute assessed that this represents a fighting force more advanced than the one Saudi forces faced a decade earlier. [2] For Tehran the outcome carries almost symbolic value, with professor Alam Saleh noting that Iran now effectively controls the Strait of Hormuz plus something more and has played the card of global oil prices and energy security. [2] Andreas Krieg cautioned that the Houthis are poor at administering captured areas and that a long-term blockade is unlikely. [2] Saudi Arabia has fired dozens of missiles at Houthi-controlled areas with no visible effect so far. [2] Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman twice phoned President Trump to request direct US air strikes on the Houthis, but Trump declined and offered intelligence support instead. [2] Trump acknowledged that the war is unlikely to end before the US midterm elections in November, and his advisers have mentioned 2029 as the possible end year in internal discussions. [2]
What to watch next: Saudi requests for direct US strikes have been turned down in favor of intelligence support, while internal assessments point to the conflict extending past November midterms and potentially into 2029.
