Houthi rebels in Yemen are advancing to seize mountainous areas to cut off the Red Sea coast, while reports indicate that Donald Trump canceled airstrikes against the Houthis at the last minute.
Foreign news agencies reported on 21 Sep 2026 GMT+7 that the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are advancing to capture the Kahboub mountain range in Taiz and Lahij provinces to isolate the Red Sea coast from the southern areas held by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.
Seizing these highlands would help protect Houthi forces near the Bab el-Mandeb strait and open a new front to expand their influence.
The United Nations (UN) reported that the renewed clashes since July have resulted in nearly 700 deaths, thousands of injuries, and more than 120,000 people displaced.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that U.S. President Donald Trump canceled plans for airstrikes against the Houthis at the last minute, even though bombs had already been loaded onto aircraft, following a direct request for assistance from Saudi Arabia.
Initially, Trump ordered the Defense Department to prepare for the strikes but ultimately reversed the decision, reportedly to avoid deeper U.S. involvement in the war and to prevent economic and political fallout domestically.
Fighting in Yemen reignited in July, and last week the Houthis captured the port city of Mocha and Perim Island, key strategic points at the entrance to the Red Sea. This allowed them to access and control the eastern side of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a critical chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis claimed over the weekend they launched missiles at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, causing smoke near the airport, while Saudi forces continue heavy bombing of Houthi positions but have yet to halt their advance.
Houthi control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait threatens Saudi Arabia’s alternative oil export routes, as Saudi commercial and oil tankers rely on the Red Sea route to ship to Asia and Europe after the Strait of Hormuz was closed amid conflicts involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
Saudi Arabia has since had to revert to using the Strait of Hormuz again by disabling ship tracking systems and transferring oil mid-ocean in the Indian Ocean.
The intensifying conflict in Yemen has caused global crude oil prices to fluctuate around $100 per barrel, while U.S. retail diesel prices have surged to a record high over $6.51 per gallon, impacting President Trump’s popularity ahead of the midterm elections.
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Source:cna