Diplomatic divisions deepen as Iran backs Houthis, Trump resists Saudi pressure
Iran backs Houthis diplomatically; Trump refuses Saudi strike request; UN convenes emergency meeting.
Event / Conflict
Ongoing conflict in Yemen involving Houthi forces and Saudi-led coalition, including attacks on religious infrastructure, territorial advances, and military operations.
2026-09-08 to 2026-10-31 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 8 Sept, 09:36 UTC
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The recent escalation of fighting in Yemen has displaced approximately 18,500 people in Taiz and Hodeida in southwestern Yemen, according to the International Organization for Migration. Many displaced families arrive with no shelter, food, or knowledge of when it is safe to return. Many have been displaced multiple times previously.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis' military spokesman, claimed responsibility in a prerecorded video statement, saying the attacks targeted Jazan City for Primary and Downstream Industries, Aramco facilities in Najran and Abha, and King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait. He blamed Saudi Arabia for the escalation.
The Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia wounded 73 people, including women and children, according to Saudi coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki.
The Houthi attacks ignited fires at multiple oil facilities and utilities across Saudi Arabia's southern region. A major 400,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery in Jazan was targeted. Operations at affected oil facilities and utilities were temporarily suspended while firefighters battled the fires.
A four-year ceasefire established in 2022 between Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces ended in recent weeks as escalating clashes renewed the conflict. The Houthis responded to Saudi actions with missile and drone attacks and a blockade of Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
In July, Houthis attempted to fly a plane from Tehran to Yemen's capital Sanaa to challenge a decade-long air and naval blockade by the Saudi-led coalition. The coalition responded with an airstrike that struck the airport runway, preventing the plane from landing.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels launched a wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia on Tuesday using dozens of ballistic missiles and drones targeting oil facilities, economic facilities, and military installations in the southern region.
The Yemen civil war has killed at least 150,000 people according to U.N. estimates, and at times pushed the country to the brink of famine.
Saudi coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki called the Houthi attacks a serious escalation and flagrant violation of Saudi sovereignty. He vowed the coalition would take all necessary operational measures to deter the Houthi militia with utmost resolve.
The Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and ongoing harassment of shipping in the Red Sea threaten to disrupt oil transport through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a critical shipping route for oil and global trade off the Arabian Peninsula's southern tip connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis are part of a network of Iranian-backed proxies across the Middle East that have stepped up attacks on regional shipping, Israel, and neighboring countries in recent years in response to Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon and the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. The rebels often act in coordination with Iran but also carry out operations independently to promote their own interests.
A Saudi-led coalition airstrike struck a prison in Yemen's northern province of Jawf, killing at least seven people including a child and wounding seven others in the city of Hazem, according to Houthi reports.
The Houthi attacks on Saudi oil facilities come at a time when the U.S.-Iran war has nearly halted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which previously moved about one-fifth of the world's oil, creating combined pressure on global oil supplies.
While visiting Moscow on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan accused the Houthis of resorting to violence to serve their own interests over those of Yemen, despite Saudi Arabia offering peace negotiations. He stated that the latest escalation is part of a series of provocations and that Saudi Arabia will not hesitate to defend itself.
Government forces allied with Saudi Arabia have reclaimed territory from the Houthis in the provinces of Hodeida and Taiz during the recent escalation of fighting in Yemen.
Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, forcing the government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year to attempt to restore the government to power.
The ceasefire that had been in place since 2022 in Yemen collapsed in July when Houthi rebels, defying Saudi Arabia's air superiority over Yemeni airspace, launched new offensive operations. The Houthis have subsequently announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and targeted Saudi oil tankers and infrastructure including refineries.
The regional conflict in the Middle East was triggered by an American-Israeli offensive against Iran at the end of February, causing the Yemen ceasefire to collapse and leading to renewed hostilities. Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, increasing the strategic importance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting Asia to Europe via the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
Houthi rebels attacked Saudi energy sites using drones and missiles, targeting Abha International Airport, King Khalid Air Base, and Aramco petroleum facilities in Abha and Jizan. The attacks caused fires and temporary interruption of operations at multiple energy sector installations in southern Saudi Arabia.
A series of attacks by Houthi rebels from Yemen injured 73 civilians in southwestern Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The attacks targeted civil and economic sites in the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, and Najran, according to the Saudi-led coalition spokesperson General Turki Al-Maliki.
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