RIYADH, Sep 21 – Houthi fighters are pressing deeper into Yemen’s strategic highlands as they seek to strengthen their hold over territory near the Red Sea and isolate Saudi-backed forces in the country’s south. The latest advance comes amid a sharp escalation in fighting and a report that U.S. President Donald Trump halted planned American airstrikes against the group at the last moment.
The developments mark another expansion of the conflict that has spread across the Middle East since the wider war involving the United States, Israel and Iran began earlier this year. The Houthi advance has also raised fresh concerns over shipping and energy supplies because the group now controls important territory around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s key maritime chokepoints.
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had prepared to strike Houthi positions on Sunday after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made renewed appeals for U.S. assistance. According to the newspaper, Trump ultimately called off the operation while American troops were loading bombs onto aircraft.
Reuters said it could not immediately verify the report, and U.S. Central Command did not respond to an email seeking comment. The reported decision leaves uncertainty over whether Washington will become directly involved in the latest fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces.
The Houthis have also claimed a significant escalation against Saudi Arabia itself. On Saturday, the group said it had attacked what it described as sensitive targets in Riyadh with missiles and drones, marking the first reported Houthi strike on the Saudi capital since the latest phase of fighting began.
Saudi authorities issued warnings of possible aerial attacks around Riyadh and nearby Al-Kharj before later declaring an all-clear. Flames and a large column of black smoke were visible near King Khalid International Airport. Saudi Arabia has not publicly confirmed damage from the claimed Houthi attack, although its defenses have reported intercepting a missile aimed at Riyadh.
The Houthis also claimed attacks against facilities belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco in the western port city of Yanbu. Those claims could not independently be confirmed.
Houthis target strategic mountain positions
The latest fighting inside Yemen is concentrated across mountainous areas in Taiz and Lahij provinces. Five Yemeni military sources told Reuters that Houthi forces are seeking control of the Kahboub Mountains, a chain of strategically important high ground separating parts of the Red Sea coast from territory still held by Saudi-backed government forces.
Fighting has been reported around Al-Wazi’iyah district in Taiz province and near Ras al-Ara along the coast. The area is strategically important because it sits between territory recently captured by the Houthis near the mouth of the Red Sea and the southern city of Aden, the main base of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
Control of the mountain positions could give the Houthis stronger protection around their rear areas near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. It could also provide positions from which they can launch additional operations against Saudi-backed forces and consolidate their recent territorial gains.
The Houthis, who have controlled Sanaa since 2014, made a rapid advance along Yemen’s western coast this month. Their offensive pushed Saudi-backed government forces away from several positions and brought the group closer to strategically important maritime routes.
Saudi Arabia has responded with an intensive aerial campaign. The Houthis say hundreds of Saudi strikes have targeted their positions in recent days. Despite the bombardment, the group has continued moving through parts of the highlands, while some Saudi-backed forces have withdrawn from contested areas.
The United Nations estimates that nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands more injured during the latest fighting. More than 120,000 Yemenis have been displaced inside the country, while thousands have crossed the Red Sea by boat to seek safety in Africa.
The humanitarian situation adds another layer of pressure as the fighting spreads across areas that have already endured years of war, economic disruption and displacement.
The confrontation is also testing Saudi Arabia’s ability to protect its territory and maintain access to its oil-export infrastructure. Riyadh has asked Washington for assistance, but the Trump administration has so far avoided directly entering the renewed Yemen conflict.
The United States previously conducted a two-month bombing campaign against the Houthis in early 2025. Trump later ended those strikes after Washington reached a ceasefire arrangement with the group. Since then, the administration has largely stayed out of the fighting in Yemen.
Yemen fighting puts Saudi oil routes under pressure
The Houthi expansion has implications well beyond Yemen because of its proximity to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean.
Saudi Arabia has historically used routes through the Red Sea to move oil toward international markets while avoiding the Strait of Hormuz. With the security situation around the Red Sea deteriorating, Saudi oil shipments have increasingly been redirected through Hormuz.
Satellite data cited by Reuters showed Saudi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz had reached about 2.9 million barrels per day in recent days, compared with roughly 700,000 barrels per day in August. The increase has partly compensated for the suspension of Saudi loadings at the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
The alternative route, however, carries substantially greater risks and costs. Some tankers traveling through Hormuz have been operating with their transponders switched off, while others have been charging exceptionally high fees because of the dangers associated with navigating the area during the conflict. Oil cargoes have also been transferred between vessels in the Indian Ocean before continuing toward Asian and other international markets.
The changes have helped maintain some flow of Saudi crude even as disruptions continue across the region. International oil prices have eased from recent highs, with crude moving back toward $100 a barrel after approaching $110 last week.
Refined fuel prices remain a major concern, particularly in the United States. The retail price of diesel reached another record on Monday, rising above $6.51 a gallon, compared with about $3.75 before the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran in February.
The economic pressure comes as Trump faces political sensitivity over energy prices ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, which are six weeks away.
Maritime risks remain high. Britain’s UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said the latest reported incident involved a vessel entering the Strait of Hormuz that was struck by a projectile, leaving several crew members with minor injuries.
The Yemen front is therefore becoming increasingly connected to the wider regional conflict. The Houthis’ territorial gains threaten a major shipping route, while Saudi Arabia’s efforts to contain them are drawing attention to Washington’s decision over whether to intervene.
Diplomatic efforts surrounding the broader U.S.-Iran conflict have also made little progress since an interim agreement reached in June collapsed within weeks. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to travel to New York on Tuesday for the United Nations General Assembly, in what would be his first such visit since Trump launched what Washington called “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran alongside Israel in February.
For now, the fighting in Yemen continues to move in parallel with the wider regional confrontation. The Houthis are attempting to consolidate their newly captured positions, Saudi Arabia is relying heavily on air power to contain the advance, and Washington remains under pressure from its Saudi ally while weighing the consequences of opening another direct military front.