Houthi fighters pushed into the Kahboub Mountains on Monday, aiming to cut the Red Sea coast from the areas still held by Saudi‑backed forces, as reports surfaced that President Donald Trump had cancelled planned U.S. airstrikes on the group at the last minute.
The Iran‑backed rebels, who seized Yemen’s capital in 2014 and captured the Red Sea coast earlier this month, now seek to secure strategic heights in Taiz and Lahij provinces. Fighting has focused on the outskirts of the remote Al‑Wazi'iyah district in Taiz and on Ras al‑Ara along the Indian Ocean coast between the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait and the government base in Aden.
According to Yemeni and Western sources, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Sunday for U.S. military support. The New York Times reported that the administration had prepared to launch airstrikes on the Houthis that day, but Trump reportedly called them off “at the last minute” even as bombs were being loaded onto aircraft. The White House has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Riyadh was reportedly struck by Houthi missiles on Saturday, the first attack on the Saudi capital since the escalation began. The Saudis have not commented on the incident. Saudi forces have carried out hundreds of strikes on Houthi positions in the highlands, the rebels say.
UN figures show nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands injured in the latest flare‑up. About 130,000 Yemenis have fled homes within the country, and more than 3,000 have crossed the Red Sea to Africa by boat.
Houthis’ advance threatens the main alternative route Saudi Arabia uses for oil exports that bypass the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the kingdom has increased shipments through Hormuz, where a small number of tankers are charging record fees—up to a quarter of the cargo’s value—to navigate wartime risk. Saudi exports through the strait rose to 2.9 million barrels per day in recent days, up from 700,000 in August, helping to cap global crude prices near $100 a barrel. However, refined fuels remain expensive, with U.S. diesel retail prices hitting a new all‑time high on Monday.
“The government forces appear to remain largely in a defensive posture following the loss of the Bab el‑Mandeb area, while the Houthis are seeking to maintain the momentum of their advance, despite being exposed to intensive air strikes,” said Mohammed Al‑Qadhi, a veteran Yemeni journalist turned political analyst.
The surge in fighting has left the U.S. in a dilemma, balancing pressure to support Saudi allies against the desire to avoid further escalation of the war it launched as “Operation Epic Fury” in February. The United States bombed the Houthis for two months in early 2025 but called off those strikes after a ceasefire, and has since stayed out of the Yemen conflict. Diplomacy has stalled since a June interim agreement between the U.S. and Iran collapsed, and Iran’s president is due to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
<small>Source: Yahoo News — read the original story there.</small>
