Houthi fighters are advancing on Yemen's strategic Kahboub Mountains to secure their hold on the Red Sea coast and pressure Saudi-backed forces. This escalation follows reports that U.S. President Donald Trump aborted planned airstrikes against the group at the last minute. While Saudi Arabia has launched hundreds of retaliatory strikes and faced a Houthi missile attack on Riyadh, the UN reports that the conflict has already killed nearly 700 people and displaced over 130,000 civilians.
Houthi highland offensive
- ▪Houthi fighters launched an offensive on September 21, 2026, to seize strategic heights in Yemen's Kahboub Mountains to cut off the Red Sea coast from Saudi-backed forces.
- ▪The Houthi advance toward the Kahboub Mountains in September 2026 followed the group's capture of Yemen's Red Sea coast, which routed Saudi-backed government forces
Trump cancellation of airstrikes
- ▪The New York Times reported that U.S. President Donald Trump called off planned airstrikes against the Houthis on September 20, 2026, at the last minute as troops loaded bombs onto planes.
- ▪Yemeni President Rashid al-Alimi requested military assistance from U.S. President Donald Trump during a phone call on September 20, 2026, but received no direct pledge of support.
Saudi Arabia military response
- ▪The Houthis claimed to have fired missiles at the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh on September 19, 2026, marking the first such strike since the recent escalation began.
- ▪Saudi Arabia launched hundreds of airstrikes in September 2026 targeting Houthi positions in the Yemeni highlands.
International support for Riyadh
- ▪British Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed on September 21, 2026, to provide limited defensive air-to-air refuelling support to Saudi Arabia.
- ▪A French diplomatic source stated that France was prepared to help secure Saudi Arabia's energy infrastructure in Yanbu and the East-West pipeline corridor.
Civilian casualties displacement
- ▪The United Nations reported that nearly 130,000 Yemenis have been internally displaced, and over 3,000 have fled across the Red Sea to Africa.
- ▪United Nations data indicates that nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands injured in the recent flare-up of fighting in Yemen.
Kahboub Mountains strategic value
- ▪Controlling the Kahboub Mountains would provide the Houthis with defensive depth to protect their newly captured coastline and secure their rear from government counterattacks.
- ▪The Kahboub Mountains are strategically vital because their heights overlook the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a critical global shipping chokepoint.
Debatable claims
- ▪The United States should launch airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen
- ▪Britain should withhold military refuelling support from Saudi Arabia
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