• Fighting intensifies across several fronts in Yemen as government forces carry out air attacks on Houthi positions to retake al-Makha (Mocha), days after the Iran-aligned group captured the strategic port and tightened its grip on the Red Sea shipping lane.
• Yemen’s armed forces report reclaiming strategic sites in Taiz governorate from Houthi control, inflicting heavy losses on the group during ongoing military operations.

Yemeni forces shift strategy to defend Marib and repel Houthi advances

Yemen’s government appears to have shifted its strategy from retaking lost territory to defending the areas it still controls, as Houthi advances continue in the country’s west.

Government forces are no longer focused on regaining al-Makha (Mocha) and the areas lost west of Taiz, including Bab al-Mandeb, but on holding their remaining strongholds – chief among them the strategic province of Marib.

Marib is the country’s oil and gas hub and one of the government’s main sources of revenue. The Houthis have tried and failed for years to gain a foothold in the government-held province.

There are now reports of fierce clashes on the outskirts of Marib, where the Houthis are said to be advancing. The group is also pushing in Taiz, where government forces are attempting to mount a counteroffensive to prevent the city’s capture.

The government is relying largely on Saudi air strikes to deter the group from taking more territory.

Trump seems ‘confused’ about how to handle Yemen crisis

Kenneth Katzman, a senior fellow at the Soufan Center, says the US could have stopped the Houthi advance in Yemen if US President Donald Trump had responded to Saudi Arabia’s request for military support.

“Given the precision with which the US air force operates – and their effectiveness – US air strikes could very well have stopped the Houthi advance, and we would not have the crisis we are facing now,” Katzman said.

He said that Trump seems “confused” about how to handle the situation in Yemen and is not operating as an “effective commander-in-chief”.

“For decades the US defined free flow of navigation, particularly of energy flows through the Middle East, as in the US’s vital interest and now it is being squeezed from Iran and the Houthis in Yemen.

“Mr Trump is just sort of sitting on his chair and doing very little and hoping it resolves itself somehow by the hand of Saudi Arabia which is unlikely,” Katzman said.

Saudi authorities issue and lift warnings for southwestern areas for second time

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence has issued and lifted warnings alerting the public to potential danger in Khamis Mushait and Abha for the second time in the past hour.

Khamis Mushait and Abha are located in southwest Saudi Arabia, close to the border with Yemen.

The Houthis, who ⁠control the most populous parts of Yemen and much of the north, have been launching attacks towards Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, with strikes targeting Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.

Hospitals struggling to provide care along Yemen’s western coast

Lou Cormack, Yemen Country Director at Doctors Without Borders, says there are huge gaps in the hospital system on Yemen’s western coast.

“Over the weekend we’ve had the evacuation of all hospitals, and for a while the essential activities we managed to maintain in the Mocha general hospital were the only ones available.”

“We are seeing that some of the hospitals are starting to come back online, but the system still has huge gaps and we are trying to find people just to keep the hospitals running,” Cormack told Al Jazeera.

“It’s a big population on the west coast and like all communities they need just everyday access to healthcare. Mums keep delivering, babies still keep getting sick, life just goes on and if there’s nowhere to access care then people can die as a result of that,” she added.

Yemen’s Houthis advance on government strongholds of Marib, Taiz

Fighting is intensifying in Yemen as Houthi fighters advance toward Saudi-backed government-held areas, including the strategic oil and gas-rich province of Marib and the city of Taiz.

Saudi Civil Defence issues and lifts warnings for southwestern regions

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence has issued and subsequently lifted warnings alerting the public to potential danger in Khamis Mushait and Abha for the third time in recent hours.

South Korea condemns ‘attacks by Houthi rebels’ in Saudi Arabia

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denounced what it is calling “attacks by the Houthi rebels targeting civilians and economic facilities in southern Saudi Arabia”.

In a statement, the ministry said the attacks “resulted in numerous civilian injuries” and emphasised that targeting civilian sites “cannot be justified for any reason”.

“Our government expresses deep solidarity with Saudi Arabia regarding this attack and urges the Houthi rebels to refrain from actions that escalate the situation,” it added.

Baghaei says Tehran has ‘no relations whatsoever’ with Yemen crisis

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman says Iran “does not interfere in Yemeni affairs”.

“We have no relations whatsoever with what is unfolding in Yemen,” Baghaei told a press conference.

“Many countries are taking advantage of the unfolding events in order to drive a wedge between Iran and other regional countries,” he said.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that Yemen’s crisis has no military solution.

The war reignited after the Saudis warned their Yemeni government ally that a plane from Iran carrying a Ansarullah delegation was in Yemen airspace to land on Sana'a International Airport. The government bombed the landing strip to prevent the plane from landing.

The delegation returned from the funeral of Khamenei, who was assassinated by the Israelis.

Houthis vow to continue attacks on ‘Saudi military concentrations until aggression ceases’

Yahya Saree, military spokesman for the Ansar Allah Houthi armed forces, says fighting against Saudi-backed forces will continue until the siege is lifted on areas in Yemen it controls.

He added:

• A large-scale military operation was carried out targeting King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait using dozens of ballistic missiles and drones.
• The operation targeted aircraft hangars, radar systems, runways, and ammunition depots at King Khalid Air Base.
• The attack achieved direct hits and caused significant damage within the base.
• The operation was in response to more than 300 Saudi air strikes targeting Yemeni governorates over the past five days.
• The Saudi air strikes were carried out by F-15 and Typhoon aircraft launched from the Khamis Mushait and Taif bases.
• The Ansar Allah armed forces will continue operations deep within Saudi territory as long as the aggression persists. Any new aggression will be met with broader and more intense operations.
• We will continue to target Saudi military concentrations until the aggression ceases and the blockade on Yemen is lifted.

US could’ve stopped Houthi advance in Yemen if it answered Saudi request

Kenneth Katzman, a Middle East policy analyst and senior fellow at the Soufan Center, says the US could have stopped the Houthis’ advance if it had responded to Saudi Arabia’s request for military support.

Houthi rebels seize more key islands in southern Red Sea

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have captured more strategic islands in the southern Red Sea, government and Houthi officials say, further strengthening control over the Bab al-Mandeb shipping route.

The seizure of the islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish came as Saudi-backed government forces attempt to rally and fight back after the rebels’ swift advances along Yemen’s west coast.

The escalation – especially Houthi attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and its shipping in the Red Sea – adds pressure on global oil supplies and prices, and that could give Iran leverage in its war with the United States.

The Houthi rebels deployed fighters on the Hanish islands, 160km (100 miles) north of Bab el-Mandeb after hundreds of government-allied forces withdrew from the archipelago, two government officials and a Houthi official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Saudi air strikes fail to halt Houthis expansion across Yemen

The Ansar Allah Houthis say attacks against Saudi Arabia are going to continue until it ceases its aerial bombardment campaign on the positions controlled by the Yemeni group.

These attacks were conducted with drones and ballistic missiles targeting Khamis Mushait at a Saudi airbase. Many observers are now asking how effective are these Saudi air strikes against the Houthis?

In 2004, the Ansar Allah Houthi group originated in the northern province of Sadaa. Saudi Arabia launched a military operation to quell the uprising. Ten years later, the group took over the Yemeni capital and Saudi Arabia along with coalition forces launched a seven-year aerial campaign with over 250,000 air strikes – that’s 35,700 air strikes a year.

Since the group’s inception its managed to take over provinces all the way to Bab al-Mandeb, which shows how ineffective the Saudi strikes have been.

The group knows how to hide very well against the Saudi air strikes. They have mastered the art of stealth warfare, which is why these Saudi air strikes are not stopping the Houthis from expanding their territorial gains.

Saudi crown prince meets CENTCOM chief in Jeddah during regional escalation

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin ⁠Salman has met ⁠with US Central Command chief Admiral ‌Brad Cooper in Jeddah.

According to Saudi state television, the latest “regional ⁠developments” were reviewed during the meeting.

Saudi Arabia has intensified air strikes on Yemen after the Houthis made rapid territorial advances along the Red Sea coast, including the strategic Bab al-Mandeb shipping route.

WHO says nearly 3,000 casualties in Yemen after days of fighting

The World Health Organization (WHO) says escalating fighting on multiple fronts in Yemen resulted in 2,883 casualties – 504 deaths and 2,379 injuries – between September 6-12.

In a report, WHO said at least 77,789 people were displaced across several governorates – including Taiz, Marib, al-Jawf, Lahj, Hodeidah, Abyan, and Shabwa – as of Friday.

The report noted Marib governorate recorded the highest daily casualty toll with 469 people killed or wounded on September 9, followed by 177 the next day, and 219 cases last Friday.

Marib accounted for 49 percent of total casualties while Taiz and areas along the west coast represented 43 percent.

Oil prices continue to surge amid regional unrest

Oil prices keep climbing rising more than 3 percent following new strikes on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Brent crude futures jumped $3.43, or 3.3 percent, to $108.04 per barrel as of 9:30 GMT. West Texas Intermediate futures gained $3.49, or 3.5 percent, to $103.54 per barrel.

Oil prices increased 9 percent last week as attacks rocked the region with Brent rising above $100 a barrel for the first time since July, pushing US diesel prices above $6 a gallon for the first time ever.

Damaged Saudi oil pipeline reportedly out of service ‘several weeks’

A crucial Saudi oil pipeline attacked last week will mostly be out of service for weeks as the damage is repaired, two unnamed officials told The Associated Press.

The officials, who have been briefed on the matter, said repairing the damage could take three to five weeks, including at a major pumping facility.

One of the officials said the line may work partially while teams carry out repairs. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to brief the media.

The East-West Pipeline, which runs across the kingdom, is key to Saudi Arabia’s strategy of shifting its oil exports to the Red Sea to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attacks have stifled shipping.

The 1,200-km (745-mile) pipeline can carry up to seven million barrels of oil a day. The attack that Saudi Arabia blamed on drones from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq forced the shutdown of the pipeline on Thursday.

Houthi advance towards Yemen’s Marib and Taiz

Yemen’s government forces have carried out air attacks against the Iran-backed Houthis to repel their advances, as the rebel group has been gaining ground in government-held positions in the past week.

The focus of the fighting is now shifting to the region of Marib – the government’s last remaining stronghold in the north and a major oil and gas hub. Should the Houthis gain control of it, it could decisively turn the tide of the war in their favour, say analysts.

Heated battles are also taking place in western Taiz, on the western coast, where reports suggest government forces, supported by Saudi Arabia, are now on the counteroffensive after losing some ground there last week. A video released on Monday by the Yemeni army purports to show Houthi positions and vehicles being bombed there.

Trapped in the middle are the civilians. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported that more than 85,000 have been forced to flee their homes since the beginning of September. More than 2,000 have fled into Djibouti’s northern shores.

‘Going to get bloody’: Ongoing fighting in Yemen likely to escalate

The ongoing violence in Yemen between government and Houthi forces is likely to continue and further escalate, an analyst says.

“No side is backing down. The Yemeni government is going to attempt to retake the territories that they lost. The Houthis are adamant to push forward not just in one location in multiple locations. So it’s going to get bloody,” Hisham al-Omeisy, senior Yemen adviser at the European Institute of Peace, said.

Despite Yemen’s government having time to reorganise and coordinate their forces, the Houthi’s were able to exploit structural issues within the Saudi-backed coalition to their advantage, “and we’re seeing the results of it for the past week”, he added.

The only way forward for the devastating 12-year conflict is peace talks, according to al-Omeisy. “No side was able to crush the other side. We’ve always arrived at a military stalemate. So, ultimately, you will have to negotiate.”

US may be ‘forced to intervene’ in the Red Sea

Former CIA officer Scott Uehlinger says the United States may be “forced to intervene” in the Red Sea as the Houthis battle Saudi-backed Yemeni forces.

While the White House has declined requests for direct military strikes for now, Uehlinger stressed that the US faces growing pressure to intervene after Houthi forces seized control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and threatened Saudi shipping in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Clashes intensify as Houthis move on major Yemeni city of Taiz

From Yousef Mawry, Sana'a

To lose territory along the Red Sea coast near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait is a catastrophic blow to Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces.

They need Saudi help, and probably a lot more than that. Reports we’re getting from on the ground in the western city of Taiz say the Houthis continue to draw in closer to government-held territory.

For the internationally recognised government, it’s all about regaining territorial integrity. But it doesn’t have the military might, the ground forces necessary to push back against the rebels.

Earlier reports suggested the government was able to reinforce western Taiz with more soldiers.

However, just in the last hour, it appears Ansar Allah Houthi fighters broke through that front line. One thing is for sure, these clashes are only going to intensify and more people will be displaced if a ceasefire isn’t reached.

EU chief decries attacks on Saudi Arabia: ‘We all have a stake in this’

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says the European Union stands in solidarity with partners in the Gulf in the face of attacks by “Iran’s proxies”.

“I condemn the Houthi attack against Saudi Arabia,” von der Leyen said in a social media post.

The EU chief said the bloc will continue working with “partners for safe and free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and for stability in the Middle East”.

“We all have a stake in this,” von der Leyen said.

IOM says over 93,000 people displaced in Yemen

The International Organization for Migration says more than 93,000 people in Yemen are newly displaced due to the ongoing conflict.

The UN organization released the updated numbers, stating that “the heaviest impact is concentrated in Ta’iz and Lahj governorates”.

“In Ta’iz’s Jabal Habashy district alone, 18,840 people have been displaced, with a further 9,966 displaced from Al Ma’afer. In Lahj, Al-Mudharibah district accounts for 16,464 displaced, with Tuban adding another 2,892,” it said.

Vance says the US engaged in ‘direct conversations’ with Houthis

US Vice President JD Vance says that government has been engaged in direct conversations with the Houthis.

Speaking to reporters ahead of an election rally in Kansas City, Vance said that he is concerned with the Houthi takeover of Mayyun Island in the Strait of Mandeb.

Vance also said the US has been in constant contact with the UAE, Saudi Arabia and “others who are affected in the region”.

US engages with Houthis while aiding Saudi Arabia with intelligence

JD Vance has been talking about what’s been going on in Yemen.

He says they are talking directly to the Houthis and they are being influenced by what they feel is the right thing to do for the American people.

It’s been widely reported that the Saudis are looking for help in their battle against the Houthis, that they’ve asked Trump directly to get involved in strikes and to aid their military battle.

Apparently, Trump and the Pentagon have said that they will not be involved in military operations, but what they will provide to the Saudis clearly is intelligence and targeting.

So, while the US says it is talking to the Houthis, it is also discussing with the Saudis, and other allies, what they can do to target the Houthis.

Clearly, this is an issue that has become much more acute for the US since the war on Iran and the economic pressure that it’s putting on the US, and of course, the global economy.

Houthis say Saudi Arabia ‘will not be safe’ as long as it continues hostilities

The Houthis have vowed that Saudi Arabia “will not be safe” as long as it continues hostilities against the armed Yemeni group.

Riyadh has “initiated and persisted with the aggression and blockade against Yemen for 12 years”, the group said in a statement, adding that its adversary had conducted 350 air strikes in five days from bases in Khamis Mushait and Taif governorates.

Last week, Saudi authorities said the Houthis attacked civilian targets in areas of southern Saudi Arabia, leaving over 70 people injured and damaging oil facilities.

Houthi control over Bab al-Mandeb threatens global oil shipments

After Houthi forces seized control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, the Bab al-Mandeb strait is an “extremely important” element at play, according to Elijah Magnier, independent military analyst.

During the war on the Strait of Hormuz, “8.1 million barrels of oil [was] crossing Bab al-Mandeb” so when Houthi forces threatened Saudi shipping, they are “disturbing the delivery of oil to the rest of the world”, he said.

“The Egyptian Suez Canal cannot really receive the large tankers,” so “delivery through the Red Sea is limited” creating an “attack” on the movement of oil in the region as a whole, he argued.

It’s a process that “inevitably cannot be disconnected to what’s happening in the Strait of Hormuz”.

“We see the harmony between both [the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb] of the most important checkpoints, that are both inflicting damage on the price of oil.”

Yemen expert says ‘getting involved’ with the Houthis would not be in US interest

Hisham al-Omeisy, senior Yemen adviser at the European Institute of Peace, has said that he doesn’t think the US would be “interested in getting involved in yet another conflict” in the region “when they’re having to deal with Iran and the Strait of Hormuz”.

“It’s one of the reasons they’re leaving it to the Saudis to deal with,” he said.

Al-Omeisy also referenced the US attacks on Yemen in April last year in which 153 civilians were killed, according to a Pentagon review. “They managed to debilitate some of the [Houthi] capabilities but they did not manage to defeat them. It actually increased the Houthi population within the country.”

The expert also spoke on Houthi intentions arguing “they want to consolidate control inside the country”.

“They want additional control of the land that’s overseeing the read sea” but also that they have regional ambitions, he said. “They want leverage.”

Pro-Yemen gov’t forces claim Iranian and Lebanese experts helped manage Houthi campaign

The Yemeni National Resistance Forces, a government-aligned military faction, says Iranian and Lebanese experts helped manage the Houthi military operation along the Red Sea coast.

The operations were planned months in advance and were executed on the order of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to spokesman Sadiq Dwaid.

He posted on social media that the National Resistance Forces’ casualties since August 9 had exceeded 2,000.

“We were losing hundreds of fighters daily between killed and wounded,” Dwaid said.

Clashes in Yemen intensified last week after the Houthis captured parts of the Red Sea coast as they aim to strengthen their influence on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Saudi Arabia lifts emergency alert for Najran province

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence authority has lifted an emergency alert for Najran province bordering Yemen, minutes after urging residents to follow official safety instructions.

Saudi authorities lift emergency alert for Khamis Mushait and Abha

Saudi state TV is reporting that the emergency alert issued for Khamis Mushait and Abha in the country’s southwest has been lifted minutes after it was issued.

Yemeni forces say Houthi positions struck near Bab al-Mandeb Strait

Yemen’s armed forces say they struck Houthi equipment and fighters in the Dhubab and al-Khokha areas along the Red Sea coast, according to a statement posted on the army’s X account.

Al-Khokha is a coastal town and district in southern Hodeidah governorate, 163km south of Hodeidah city. Dhubab is a small coastal town in Taiz governorate on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Egyptian president to host Saudi crown prince on Tuesday

Egypt’s President el-Sisi will host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday for talks on regional development and strengthening bilateral relations.

The meeting comes as Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen trade attacks.

Djibouti humanitarian situation worsens as Yemenis seek refuge

Thousands of Yemenis are seeking refuge in Djibouti as fighting intensifies in Yemen, deepening a humanitarian crisis in the African country.

US unlikely to intervene directly in Houthi-Saudi war

The United States is unlikely to have any direct involvement in the war in Yemen in the short term, American University professor and former senior US diplomat William Lawrence said.

However, Lawrence said the fighting “doesn’t necessarily get us to peace faster”.

“In fact, it probably slows things down,” he said.

Lawrence asserted that America’s role in the conflict is to provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence, surveillance, decision-making and weapons training.

The support role is similar to Iran backing the Houthis, he said but is unlikely to involve direct military engagement for “probably good reasons in that it’s escalatory for the Americans to go in and also could prolong the conflict, not shorten it”.

While Houthi fighters have captured Yemeni territory close to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a vital shipping waterway, the group faces several issues, he said.

“One is their supply lines. They’re not getting food and water and bullets to the frontline, and they’re not even really able to hold the front end of the territory they’ve just taken,” he said.

“This is the domestic Yemen part of this conflict [in] which the Houthis want to grab all of Yemen’s territory as soon as they can and get reparations from Saudi Arabia, which is a non-starter for Saudi Arabia.”

Houthi missile and drone attacks injure 13 civilians in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says 13 civilians were injured on Monday following a wave of ballistic missile and drone attacks launched by Houthi forces into Saudi Arabia.

According to Major-General Turki al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, the strikes targeted civilian infrastructure across the cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif. The attacks caused minor to moderate injuries and damaged seven homes and two vehicles.

“The continuation of these deliberate and repeated attacks proves the Terrorist Houthi Militia’s approach and extremist ideology of escalation and targeting civilian objects and civilians,” al-Maliki said in a statement posted on X.

“The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will deal with these attacks responsibly and firmly to protect the sovereignty of the Kingdom, civilian objects, and civilians from these heinous attacks”, in accordance with international law and the UN Charter’s principle of self-defence, he added.