• Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the kingdom will not hesitate to respond firmly to any threat or attack seeking to undermine it.

Yemen government forces launch attacks on Houthi positions

Yemen’s government forces say they’ve conducted six air strikes on Ansar Allah Houthi sites in the al-Akboosh area and battle fronts in Haifan district southeast of Taiz.

There is no immediate word on casualties or damage.

Yemen government forces claim to have stopped ‘large-scale’ Houthi attack

Yemen’s Tur al-Bahah axis, which is affiliated with the Yemeni government forces, says it has staved off a major Houthi offensive.

“Our forces thwarted a large-scale Houthi attack on all fronts of the axis and eliminated all its attacking formations,” the axis’s media centre wrote on Facebook, without providing further details.

As we’ve been reporting, Yemen’s government forces earlier said they conducted six air strikes on Houthi sites in the al-Akboosh area and on battle fronts in Haifan district, southeast of Taiz.

France’s navy escorts oil tankers through Red Sea amid Houthi threats

A French warship has escorted at least 10 ships through the Bab al-Mandeb strait over the last week as Yemen’s Houthi rebels threaten commercial transit.

Army spokesman Xavier Rival said the naval vessel is part of the European Union’s Red Sea mission, which aims to protect ships from Houthi attacks.

France is still clarifying with officials in Saudi Arabia the requirements to secure energy infrastructure, Rival said.

President Emmanuel Macron said late last month Paris is sending “soldiers, radar, and defence systems” to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, where Saudi Arabia exports millions of barrels of oil per day.

Government says nearly 198,000 Yemenis forcibly displaced amid worsening humanitarian crisis

The number of people in Yemen internally displaced amid the latest escalations has risen to 198,000 people, the government has said.

The management unit for Yemen’s internally displaced peoples camps said 197,906 individuals had been officially registered as of Wednesday, comprising 29,519 families.

The unit said it has documented “worsening waves of forced displacement resulting from ongoing military escalation, direct shelling, and deteriorating security conditions – all posing severe threats to civilian lives and safety”.

The majority are being housed in Taiz province, with more than 97,000 people, followed by Lahj, with more than 50,000.

Previous figures from UNICEF indicated 134,000 internal displacements.

Saudi Arabia approves $59m of budget funding for Yemen’s government

Saudi Arabia has approved 224 million Saudi riyals ($59.7m) in budget funding for Yemen’s Saudi-backed government amid intense battles with the Houthis.

In a post on X, the Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed al-Jabir said that the budget grant had been requested by Yemen’s government.

The funds will help “enhance the regularity of government financial flows, support the efficiency of fiscal policy, and contribute to strengthening the purchasing power of the Yemeni citizen”, al-Jabir said.

Yemeni government forces claim heavy losses for Houthis in Taiz

Yemeni government forces have said they launched attacks on several Houthi positions in Yemen’s Taiz governorate, inflicting heavy losses on the group, according to a statement on the official X account of the Yemeni Armed Forces.

The Saudi-backed forces, citing a military source, said more than 30 Houthi fighters were killed in western and southeast Taiz, including dozens who were wounded.

Saudi-led coalition says Houthis targeted power station, shuts down transformer in Medina

A ⁠Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis has said ⁠the armed ⁠group had targeted a power distribution station ‌in Medina, putting one transformer out of service ⁠but without affecting ⁠the electricity network.

In a statement, the Houthis denied the allegations, calling them “baseless” and saying they were “gross fabrications”, according to the Saba news agency.

Saudi-led coalition says Houthi drones, ballistic missiles intercepted over Saudi Arabia

The ⁠Saudi-led ⁠coalition has said it intercepted ⁠and destroyed four drones ⁠launched by Yemen’s Houthis over the southern Saudi city of ‌Khamis Mushait and two ballistic missiles over Khamis Mushait and Jazan.

A coalition spokesperson, Major-General Turki al-Maliki, said the group continues “to take and implement operational measures to deter the terrorist Houthi militia”, in a post on X.

The ⁠interceptions come amid ⁠a sharp escalation between Saudi Arabia and the ⁠Iran-aligned Houthi in recent weeks.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government holds cabinet meeting on general mobilization

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has held a cabinet meeting to act on its approval of a general mobilization, according to the Yemeni Foreign Ministry.

On Wednesday, Yemen’s parliament approved the declaration of a general mobilization announced in a speech on Friday by Rashad al-Alimi, the head of the ruling Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council.

The Foreign Ministry said the cabinet adopted a set of executive measures to bolster its state institutions to implement government directives related to general mobilization.

In his speech, al-Alimi made a national call to arms, asking citizens to “contribute in every way possible” and offered amnesty to defecting Houthi fighters.

Al-Alimi thanked Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the approval of a $59m budget, while his government forces engage in intense fighting with the Houthis.

The Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jabir, said the budget grant had been requested by Yemen’s government.

Yemeni foreign minister, US charge d’affaires discuss regional escalation

The Yemeni foreign minister and the charge d’affaires of the US embassy in Yemen have met to discuss the latest developments in the fighting between the Saudi-backed government forces and the Houthis, according to Yemen’s foreign ministry.

The two also discussed maritime navigation security in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab, following the dramatic advances made by the Houthis in western Yemen, the Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.

The Yemeni Foreign Ministry wrote that it “warned of the danger of the militias using Iranian-made missiles that threaten the safety of civilian aviation and international air routes”, calling for “action to enforce the arms embargo imposed on the militias and halt the flow of Iranian weapons and expertise to them”.

UN Special Envoy to Yemen warns of ‘deeply troubling reports of casualties’ in Taiz

UN Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, says he is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Taiz as fighting has escalated and military operations by the Houthis pose “grave risks to the civilian population.”

In a statement, Grundberg said his office had received “deeply troubling reports of casualties, damage to infrastructure, and road closures, hindering residents’ ability to leave the area.”

“Taiz is the third-largest city in Yemen, and the governorate is currently hosting the majority of Yemenis recently displaced by fighting in other regions. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. Every effort must be made to prevent further harm and ensure that aid reaches those in need safely and without hindrance,” he said.

“I renew my call to Ansar Allah to halt its military offensive, and I am in close contact with the Yemeni government and Ansar Allah regarding the steps necessary to contain the situation urgently and ensure the freedom of movement of civilians,” the envoy added.

US arrests Energy Department employee for allegedly supporting Yemen’s Houthis

The Justice Department has arrested Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, a 51-year-old US Energy Department employee for allegedly attempting to provide material support or resources to Yemen’s Houthis.

“As alleged, a US government employee traveled overseas and used his specialized expertise in an attempt to aid the Houthis, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization backed by Iran,” said John A Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for national security.

“Ellaboudy acquired materials for the construction of explosive material and drones capable of delivering these explosives,” Eisenberg said. “These allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination.”

Ellaboudy is scheduled to appear before a federal judge on October 2 in the US state of Washington, the statement said.

The Department of Justice complaint alleges that in 2025, Ellaboudy, using an official passport, traveled from Washington to Oman. He then crossed the border into Yemen with the intent of traveling to Sanaa.

The US Justice Department statement has said Energy Department Employee Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, “came to the attention of the FBI after they received information that he had purchased precursor chemicals, components, and other materials commonly used in the construction of homemade explosive devices”.

“The investigation revealed Ellaboudy had also purchased parts used for the construction of drones and remotely operated aerial systems,” the statement read, adding that the suspect began communicating with an FBI confidential human source (CHS).

The statement says this FBI CHS “purported to be working for a Houthi ‘Colonel’ to acquire communications equipment that would be sent to Yemen for use in a mobile communications center”.

Based upon his background in electrical engineering, the statement says, “Ellaboudy provided expert advice and assistance”, by helping the CHS test and modify solar power generators and communication equipment.

The Justice Department statement says Ellaboudy faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted.