Yemen

Fighting has intensified in the highlands stretching between the Red Sea and Indian Ocean coasts, as the Houthis seek to seize the area and Saudi air raids fail to drive the fighters out. Meanwhile, the group said it had attacked Riyadh for the first time since the escalation began, while The New York Times reported that Donald Trump cancelled air strikes that were being prepared.

Dozens of Yemenis held a protest outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague, demanding that the Houthis be designated a terrorist organisation and calling for support for Yemen’s internationally recognised government. The protest came amid escalating clashes since July and government warnings that international shipping faces a threat after the Houthis advanced towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The 12th anniversary of the Houthis’ takeover of Sana’a coincides with a military escalation along the western coast and in al-Bayda, al-Jawf and Ma’rib, as government officials speak of plans to advance towards the capital. The clashes follow four years of relative calm, amid changes to the map of control and the extension of attacks to Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure and ships, stressing the need to protect freedom of navigation and uphold international law in maritime passages. He also discussed the Gaza peace plan and the two-state solution, progress in Syria’s transitional phase, and the role of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon.

The Yemeni Armed Forces said air strikes on Sunday targeted Houthi personnel and equipment in Al Bayda governorate, destroying missile launchers, a communications system and weapons stores. The strikes came amid escalating fighting and government warnings of a threat to international shipping near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

Yemen’s Executive Unit for Internally Displaced Persons Camp Management announced that more than 122,000 people had been displaced across eight governorates as a result of the military escalation. Camps in Marib have received arrivals from other areas, increasing pressure on displacement sites in the governorate, which hosts the largest concentration of displaced people among the areas covered by monitoring operations.

A Yemeni government body documented the displacement of 146,943 people across 8 governorates between 1 and 18 September, amid escalating fighting and growing risks to civilians. The government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees called for urgent assistance, as acute needs persist for shelter, food, water and healthcare.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure and ships, stressing the need to respect navigational rights and freedom in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. His position followed a meeting with the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, where they discussed threats to regional security and stability.

In Yemen’s Taiz governorate, women-led and community initiatives have been active in collecting food, water, medicines and clothing and sending them to government forces, as renewed clashes with Ansar Allah have continued since early September. The efforts have included convoys to the al-Kadha front west of the governorate, as well as household initiatives and organised committees collecting donations and preparing aid.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara would consider possible Saudi military needs to counter Houthi attacks under the joint defence agreement with Pakistan. He stressed that Riyadh must not be drawn into the war between the United States and Iran, and said proposals to halt the fighting had been conveyed to the parties concerned.

Two Houthi-affiliated military sources said experts from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard visited Bab al-Mandab and sites in Mokha to study the installation of radars and oversee tunnel excavation, as fighting intensified between the Houthis and government forces around the Kahboub Mountains overlooking the maritime passage.

Yemeni government forces said they had taken control of positions in Taiz governorate amid continuing clashes and air strikes on several fronts, while the International Organization for Migration said more than 112,000 people had been displaced by the escalation. UN agencies warned of a declining ability to deliver aid and growing health risks facing women and children.

The Houthis acknowledged that a security operation had taken place in Sana’a, while sources reported that an explosion targeted a security facility belonging to the group in the Dhahr Hamir area early on Friday, killing four members, including a commander known as Abu Ahmed al-Madani, and seriously injuring three others.

The Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms said it had documented 661 violations attributed to the Houthi group in Taiz governorate between 3 and 15 September 2026. They included killings, injuries, abductions, house raids and attacks on civilian facilities, and reportedly resulted in the deaths of 51 civilians, injuries to 62 others and the displacement of thousands of families.

The local authorities in Hodeidah governorate accused the Houthi group of looting humanitarian facilities and programmes in Khokha and areas along the western coast, warning that the disruption of clinics, food and shelter warehouses, and a water-supply project threatens services for thousands of civilians and displaced people and deprives tens of thousands of healthcare and aid assistance.

Yemeni military sources said that army forces on Friday, 18 September 2026, recaptured positions infiltrated by the Houthis on the al-Kadaha and al-Wazi'iyah fronts west of Taiz after clashes lasting several hours. The operations coincided with the downing of a drone and air strikes on positions and gatherings belonging to the group in other parts of the governorate.

Clashes between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis have resumed in Taiz, Lahj and Marib, amid air strikes and competing claims over casualties. The UN has warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis after documenting 55 civilian deaths and injuries since the start of September, while funding for the 2026 response plan stands at just 20 per cent.

The Arab League condemned the Houthi attack on Taif Governorate and affirmed its solidarity with Saudi Arabia. The statement followed an announcement by Saudi Civil Defence that a Yemeni resident had died and a Saudi woman and Pakistani resident had been injured after fragments from an intercepted and destroyed drone fell, causing material damage to buildings and vehicles.

Three children were killed and several civilians injured on Thursday in a drone attack targeting Al-Tarirah village in Yemen's Taiz governorate. Yemeni Legal Affairs Minister Ishraq al-Maqtari accused the Houthi group of carrying out the attack, amid the displacement of families from areas where she said the group had resumed its deployment.

The International Organization for Migration recorded the displacement of 17,461 families comprising 104,796 people within Yemen from the start of the military escalation in June through September 15, 2026. Most new displacement was concentrated in Taiz governorate, amid growing needs for shelter, non-food items and protection.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations received a report from a westbound oil tanker that a small boat had followed it and attempted to intercept it 75 nautical miles east of Aden. Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident amid growing concerns about navigation safety near Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea.

The Houthis’ rapid advance along Yemen’s western coast and their capture of positions overlooking Bab al-Mandab gave Iran new leverage, while officials and sources attributed the breakthrough to divisions within the anti-Houthi camp, weak air support and a failure to assess the group’s preparations before the attack.

The UAE affirmed its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and support for measures aimed at protecting its security after the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced that Saudi air defences had intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by the Houthis south of Mecca before it entered restricted airspace.

The Saudi-led coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen said it intercepted a drone that the Houthis had launched toward Mecca before it entered the city’s prohibited airspace on Tuesday evening. The group denied targeting Mecca, saying its operations were directed at oil facilities and military bases, amid Arab and Islamic condemnations of the incident.