Fighting in Yemen intensifies, Houthis launch more attacks on Saudi Arabia
Conflict in Yemen has escalated as government forces clash with Houthi rebels near the Red Sea, while the Houthis continue to launch drone and missile attacks into Saudi Arabia. The violence has caused significant displacement and threatens global oil supply chains.
Why it matters
The intensification of the Yemeni civil war poses a direct threat to regional stability and global energy markets, potentially increasing geopolitical tensions between Iran and the US.
The conflict in Yemen intensified on Sunday (September 13, 2026), as government forces launched attacks against Iran-backed Houthi rebels along the Red Sea and Houthis fired into neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen's government.
The Yemeni government vowed to send more forces to the Red Sea coast after conceding a “painful” defeat last week when Houthis captured the port city of Mokha and an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.
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.
As Yemen risks descending into another civil war, the United Nations estimated that more than 80,000 people in the impoverished country have been displaced by the fighting since the start of September.
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