Saudi Arabia is intensifying its airstrikes in Yemen as Houthi rebels advance along the Red Sea coast and seize islands near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis claim to have launched drone and missile strikes against Saudi cities including Yanbu and Khamis Mushait, while also downing a Saudi F-15 fighter jet, though this has not been independently verified. U.S. officials have tightened travel restrictions for government employees near the Yemen border due to escalating violence.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Yemen's Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have seized Greater and Lesser Hanish islands in the southern Red Sea, strengthening their control over critical shipping routes. This move follows previous captures of the port city of Mokha and Perim Island, displacing more than 80,000 people since September 2023. The capture of these strategic locations increases pressure on global oil supplies, as they lie near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital passage connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Additionally, Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, crucial for moving oil from the Persian Gulf to export hubs like Yanbu, was forced to close after an attack by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias. These developments coincide with heightened tensions over Iran’s ongoing conflict and its impact on maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Written for “Houthis Advance In Red Sea” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 18 other(s) covering the same event.
Saudis pound Yemen as Houthis solidify gains in new Middle East war front
Houthis recently swept through Yemeni towns along the Red Sea coast, seized islands
Saudi warplanes pounded Yemen and Houthi fighters launched drones and missiles at Saudi cities, the Iran-backed movement said Wednesday, after a lightning advance that has extended Tehran's reach in the Middle East war.
asserted
that → pound → war
In a sign of the worsening conflict in a new theatre, the United States tightened its travel warning for Saudi Arabia, banning government employees from travelling within 32 kilometres of the Yemen border.
asserted
States → worsen → border
The Houthis, who since last week have swept through Yemeni towns along the Red Sea coast and seized islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at its mouth, released battlefield video overnight of fighters seizing armoured vehicles from Saudi-backed forces.
asserted
fighters → sweep → forces
Warplanes flew overhead and huge explosions billowed into the sky from desert dunes, the video showed.
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video → fly → dunes
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had launched fresh drone and missile strikes on the major Saudi Red Sea oil port of Yanbu, and at a southern Saudi airbase at Khamis Mushait.
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group → say → Mushait
He did not say when the strikes had taken place.
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strikes → say → place
Both cities were among a wide range of locations where Saudi Arabia announced alerts on Tuesday, although there were no similar announcements on Wednesday.
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Arabia → announce → Wednesday
Saudi officials and oil company Aramco did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
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officials → respond → comment
Earlier, Saree said the Houthis had also shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet.
asserted
Houthis → say → jet
No immediate evidence was presented of that incident.
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evidence → present → incident
Saree said the Saudis had carried out as many as 450 airstrikes on Yemen this week.
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Saudis → say → Yemen
Officials in the Saudi-backed government that controls southern Yemen have acknowledged that their forces and those of Saudi Arabia were conducting airstrikes on Houthi positions, though Riyadh itself has not confirmed them.
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Riyadh → back → them
The Houthis have fired repeatedly into Saudi Arabia over the past week, causing alarms over cities in the south and west.
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Houthis → fire → south
An attack blamed on Iran-aligned fighters in Iraq last week also knocked out Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, the main route used to divert oil exports from the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
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attack → blame → Hormuz
Riyadh said its air defences had shot down a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday before it entered prohibited airspace over the holy city, an attack it said crossed a "red line" of threatening shrines sacred to all Muslims.
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it → say → Muslims
Houthi spokesperson Saree denied the group had targeted Mecca, and said the Saudi reports were a setup for propaganda purposes.
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reports → deny → purposes
Sources told Reuters that U.S. officials had held a meeting with the Houthis over the weekend in Oman, at which the group said it had no intention of attacking American vessels and was committed to a ceasefire reached with the U.S. last year.
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it → tell → U.S.
Danger of global energy supply shortage worsening
The extension of the war into Yemen threatens to worsen the global energy supply shortage caused by the six-month-old U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
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which → worsen → Hormuz
The price of Brent crude hovered around $108 US a barrel on Wednesday, close to its highest level since May.
uncertain
price → hover → May
The politically sensitive average retail price of diesel fuel in the United States hit another all-time high above $6.30 US a gallon for the first time.
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price → hit → time
Traders say a prolonged closure of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline could cut off as much as four per cent of global oil supply.
uncertain
closure → say → supply
Saudi Arabia has not said when operations might resume, but U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNBC on Tuesday that crude oil should be flowing through the pipeline within days.
uncertain
oil → say → days
Houthis attack more Saudi targets as regional talks with Iran postponed
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talks → postpone → Iran
Houthis seize strategic island, Saudis close pipeline as fighting escalates
Saudi Arabia has led a coalition battling the Houthis since 2015.
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Arabia → seize → 2015
The conflict had largely quietened under a ceasefire in recent years, but reignited when the Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in July and fired at southern areas in the kingdom.
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Houthis → quieten → kingdom
Violence has intensified sharply this month when the militant group pushed back forces aligned with the Saudi-backed internationally recognized Yemeni government.
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group → intensify → government
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman phoned U.S. President Donald Trump last week seeking military support, which so far has been limited to intelligence aid.
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which → phone → aid
The United States bombed the Houthis for two months in 2025, but halted that campaign after reaching what Trump described as a ceasefire that would halt attacks on ships.
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that → bomb → ships
Trump now faces a dilemma of whether to stand by and risk the Houthi advance worsening the global energy crisis, or provide more direct military support to the Saudis and risk extending the costly U.S. intervention to another theatre.
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advance → face → theatre
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