By Felicity Flynn
Correspondent
Over the past couple of weeks, Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi organization have reignited a longstanding battle over the national government of Yemen, which previously ended in a problematic quagmire, according to The New York Times.
On July 13, a Saudi Arabian airstrike hit a Yemeni airport due to Saudi Arabia trying to block a member of the Houthi authority from landing.
Since then, the Houthis have been targeting the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, with airstrikes. The conflict escalated on Sept. 19 when the organization launched missiles and drones at Riyadh and oil facilities in retaliation for Saudi airstrikes, The New York Times reported.
Yahya al-Sarea, a Houthis spokesperson, said the attacks were “in response to the Saudi enemy’s criminal attempts” to target the Yemeni Capitol, according to The BBC.
Tensions have since escalated, with battles raging across al-Wazi’iyah, al-Madaribah and al-Arah, mountainous territory in the southwest of Yemen as of Sept. 20, according to Abdul Basit al-Baher, an army officer with the Saudi-backed government.
Battles also took place in Kahbol which overlooks the Bab el-mandab strait, a narrow waterway that 12% of total world trade passes through, according to PBS.
The BBC reported that Houthis have also seized control of Perim Island, which is located directly in the strait and can act as a major chokehold of maritime travel.
“The Houthis are trying to consolidate gains on the West Coast and to take additional territory, particularly in Taiz and Marib governorates,” said April Alley, a Yemen expert and senior fellow at The Washington Institute, according to The New York Times.
If Houthis gain control of these areas it could cut off the city of Taiz from the southern capital of Aden and lay siege to the Saudi-backed troops that are stationed there.
Senior officials with Houthi have warned to not side with Saudi Arabia, telling The Associated Press that Houthi will not attack the U.S., and that the organization only has interest in attacking Saudi Arabia.
The BBC reported that these two countries have been at war since 2014 when Houthis took control of Yemen’s capital of Sanaa. Houthis is an Islamist political and military organization backed by Iran.
In order to restore the Yemeni government, the Saudi-led military coalition began a bombing campaign plunging the impoverished Yemeni nation into a devastating conflict; with the country's continued bombings and airstrikes from 2014- to late 2022 according to ABC News.
These attacks led to a massive loss of money, strain on the reputations from both sides of the war and the deaths of thousands of Yemenis from famine, violence and disease, this is according to The New York Times.
DYemen were subjected famine back in 2022, so both countries agreed to a ceasefire according to CBS.
During this ceasefire, Yemen was split in two with the north being controlled by Houthis and the south controlled by the internationally recognized government. However, in recent months the organization has started to refer to themselves more so as the actual government.
In a statement about the attack on Riyadh, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, said that it “holds the inherent right to take appropriate measures,” but provided no details, according to The New York Times.
On Sept. 19 after the Houthi missile hit the Saudi INT Airport, the U.S. state department warned “This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly [...] [Americans] should seriously reconsider travel to and through the region.”
The U.N. have stated 104,796 people are displaced in Yemen because of this ongoing crisis, reported by the BBC.
PBS reported on Houthi authorities saying the attacks against neighboring Saudi Arabia will persist until Riyadh ends its decade-long blockade on rebel-held areas in Yemen and allows vessels to reach Houthi-controlled ports on the Red Sea; then they will be ready to negotiate.
Al Bukhati, Houthi spokesperson said, “Today Yemen is capable of waging battle, not merely an internal conflict, but an international one as well” and “the balance of power has shifted in favor of the Sanaa government [...] ultimately Saudi Arabia has lost most of its critical card; the west coast.”
According to The New York Times, Saudi officials previously stated that they do not wish to fight Yemen alone. However, President Trump has rebuffed the appeal by the Crown prince of Saudi Arabia when he requested for increased military support. Within the hour of this statement, the Houthis had seized the Yemen red sea coastline.
Trump previously stated he “had discussions” with Houthis. “The Houthis called us and they didn't want to fight with us,” he said on Sept. 12, according to PBS. Who also reported that there has been contact through longtime mediator Oman, which brokered a 2025 ceasefire between the Houthis and the Trump administration. That ended a weekslong U.S. bombing campaign against the rebels in return for them ceasing attacks on U.S. vessels in the Red Sea.
However, the U.S. does not have any intention to get involved, according to The BBC.
