Three months after Saudi Arabia resumed its aggression against Yemen’s Ansar Allah-led government by attacking Sanaa International Airport in July, the conflict continues to spiral.
Saudi-backed forces claimed that they managed to cut off the main road connecting the Red Sea port city of Mokha with the Bab al-Mandeb strait on Monday, October 12, in a bid to reverse Ansar Allah’s major territorial gains along the Red Sea coast.
This came after Ansar Allah launched an intensified military operation that resulted in encircling Yemen’s southwestern city of Taiz last week. Taiz has been under the control of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government for roughly the last ten years.
As Yemen’s third-largest city, the encirclement of Taiz constitutes a critical development in the country’s armed conflict and geopolitical landscape, especially with a vital supply route linking Taiz with Aden being cut off. For over a decade, Aden has served as the temporary capital of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.
Ansar Allah’s encirclement of Taiz sparked heavy ground clashes with the Saudi-backed forces, while Saudi warplanes intensified their strikes on the city as well as other parts of Yemen.
Ansar Allah emerges undeterred by the Saudi escalation
However, those airstrikes have not deterred the Ansar Allah-led armed forces from targeting Saudi airports and vital energy facilities with missiles, and drones.
The Yemeni Armed Forces’ spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Sare’e confirmed on Sunday, October 11, that the attacks disrupted air traffic at King Khalid Airport in Riyadh and King Fahd Airport in Dammam. They also caused fires in Aramco’s Shuqdam gas and Tanajib oil facilities in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.
On Monday, Ansar Allah announced the targeting of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh once again with a ballistic missile, and Khamis Mushait Air Base in southern Saudi Arabia with a drone.
As a result, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation extended the suspension of flight operations at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh until October 17, 2026.
The Yemeni movement clarified that its latest attacks on Saudi airports, alongside other energy and military facilities, came in response to the recent Saudi strikes on civilian infrastructure across Yemen. This included an attack on a passenger bus in Taiz, reportedly killing two civilians and injuring seven others.
Trump says US may join Saudi Arabia in striking Yemen
Commenting on the attacks on Riyadh’s main airport, US President Donald Trump told reporters he is considering joining Saudi Arabia in striking Ansar Allah in Yemen.
“We just found out about the recent attack. So, we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly,” Trump said.
Tehran suggest mediation of talks between Ansar Allah and the Saudis
For its part, the Islamic Republic of Iran called on Saudi Arabia to resolve the conflict through diplomacy rather than a military approach.
According to Saudi and Iranian media outlets, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi proposed on Sunday that Tehran mediate a dialogue between Riyadh and Ansar Allah, during a telephone call with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis said Saudi Arabia was attacking the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Tuesday after a Saudi-led coalition warned civilians to stay away from an oil depot on the city's outskirts, part of a rapidly escalating war between the sides.
President Trump on Tuesday said that Ansar Allah, which he refers to as the Houthis, is “behaving very badly,” as Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on oil infrastructure in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and a Red Sea fuel port. “The Houthis are behaving very badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I thought they learned their […]
Saudi airstrikes in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province on Monday hit a girls’ school and a health center, killing at least five civilians, according to Yemeni media reports. Yemen’s SABA news agency, citing a local source, reported that a child was among those killed and that 15 other civilians were wounded. The news agency also published […]
The Yemeni army (Ansar Allah) advanced in the Jabal Arus area south of Taiz;
The Yemeni army (Ansar Allah) advanced in the areas west of Lahij province;
The Yemeni army (Ansar Allah) forces are reportedly attempting to outflank Saudi-backed forces around Bab al-Mandab through Al-Mudharabah district in Lahij province;
On October 12, the Yemeni attacked King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, Khamis Mushait Air Base and Abha with missiles and drones.
Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Katherine Walters)
A Saudi-led coalition carried out strikes on oil facilities west of Sanaa on October 13 after warning residents to evacuate the area.
The strikes followed an announcement by coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki urging civilians to leave the Yemen Petroleum Company’s Al-Sabaha Central Station and nearby storage areas ahead of a planned operation. Al-Maliki released a map identifying the area covered by the warning but did not specify the intended military objective.
The Saudi-led coalition appeared to be borrowing a tactic used by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza and later in Lebanon and Iran, issuing mapped evacuation warnings before carrying out strikes in designated areas.
Click to see full-size image.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the targeted facility was “empty of petroleum derivatives and has no military value for targeting,” citing a source within the oil company.
The Yemen Petroleum Company separately said its storage facilities were empty and that the strike would not affect oil reserves or fuel supplies for residents. The facility lies on a hill overlooking western Sanaa, where a nearby fuel station is used by the public.
Before the strikes, Saree warned that any Saudi attack on Sanaa would be met with a “firm and painful” response in Riyadh. Following the attack, the Houthis threatened Saudi oil infrastructure, identifying Saudi Aramco’s headquarters in Dammam, an Aramco refinery in Riyadh and King Khalid International Airport as potential targets.
The spokesman described Aramco facilities as “legitimate targets” and urged workers and civilians to stay away from them.
Click to see full-size image.
Click to see full-size image.
Click to see full-size image.
The escalation comes after a series of Houthi missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, including a deadly attack on Riyadh’s international airport on October 10 that killed at least 13 people and injured more than 300.
The attacks have disrupted aviation and heightened pressure on Saudi authorities to strengthen the kingdom’s air defenses.
The latest exchange adds to the widening conflict between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition, which supports forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The Houthis will certainly execute their threat and respond with full force, possibly within hours.
The Houthis (Ansar Allah) advanced on multiple fronts in southwestern Yemen on October 13, tightening pressure on Saudi-backed forces around Taiz while threatening to outflank government-aligned troops defending their remaining positions near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
In Taiz, Houthi fighters reached the city’s western entrance and captured the al-Hangar checkpoint, with footage showing their presence at the position.
The advances came as Houthi forces pushed south of the city, clearing the areas of Anbian and Wateer, as well as positions along the approaches to Taiz.
The latest gains threaten to further isolate Saudi-backed forces defending Taiz. The Houthis had already tightened their encirclement of the city after capturing Turbah, south of Taiz, on October 4, cutting off most supply routes from government-held territory.
The advance toward al-Hangar and the fighting south of the city put additional pressure on the remaining positions and routes connecting the city with areas held by the government.
Farther south, in neighboring Lahj province, Houthi forces reportedly cleared al-Sharjan, al-Ka’ala, Harazu and al-Khabakhib in the province’s western areas.
The advance adds pressure on Saudi-backed forces deployed along the approaches to Bab al-Mandab, where the Southern Giants Brigades have been fighting to regain territory lost to the Houthis.
The two fronts pose distinct but connected threats to the Saudi-backed deployment. Around Taiz, the Houthis are tightening their hold on the city and its surrounding approaches. In western Lahj, their advance threatens to outflank the Southern Giants Brigades and other government-aligned units near Bab al-Mandab and Kahbub, potentially cutting those units’ routes for reinforcement or retreat.
If the Houthi advance in western Lahj continues, Saudi-backed forces near the strait risk being isolated as the Houthis pressure the forces’ positions from the north and east.
As the US is strongly supporting Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia has issued a warning to US citizens that Americans have been arrested inside the country for social media posts critical of the Saudi government and for taking photos of recent attacks. Arrests for social media posts inside Saudi […]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking approval from Saudi Arabia to join the war in Yemen against Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, Haaretz reported on Monday. The report cited an unnamed diplomatic source who also said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman opposed Israeli military involvement over concerns about likely domestic […]
Saudi airstrikes hit a government building and civilian homes in northern Yemen’s al-Jawf province on Monday, killing at least nine civilians, including five children, Yemeni media has reported. Citing the Health Ministry within the Ansar Allah-led Yemeni government, the SABA news agency reported that seven other people were injured in the attack and described the […]
Trump says he's considering joining the imminent Saudi counteroffensive on the Houthis in response to Saturday’s assault. It's hard to overstate how much Netanyahu's promoted Iran War has destabilized the Middle East -TCN
Sanaa’s government said it has kept all main roads leading into and out of Taiz open and secure, warning Saudi forces against blocking access to the city and imposing a siege on its residents.
Government spokesperson Omar al-Bukhaiti renewed the warning against continued road closures and attempts to besiege Taiz residents to deepen their suffering and exploit it for media purposes.
Al-Bukhaiti accused the Saudi forces of closing roads and obstructing the movement of civilians and the transport of food, medicine, and other essential supplies, noting that they openly announced, through their own media outlets, the closure of 19 key roads and crossings in Taiz Governorate, while targeting civilian vehicles on roads with airstrikes and artillery shelling.
“We call for keeping densely populated Taiz out of any military escalation, prioritizing the public interest, and preventing further bloodshed,” he asserted.
The statement follows the Sanaa government’s declaration that it is prepared to reach a reciprocal arrangement to spare humanitarian sites amid the ongoing conflict with Saudi Arabia. The government also reiterated its rejection of attempts to impose an occupation.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni Armed Forces have continued to uphold their declared equation of “escalation for escalation and blockade for blockade.”
Yemeni forces renew warning over Saudi airports
The Yemeni Armed Forces also renewed their warning to airlines, passengers, and workers against using Saudi airports and airspace, describing them as a theater of military operations and potential targets.
The warning excluded the airports and airspace of the Holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
An Iraqi anti-terror resistance group has urged the Saudi leadership to acknowledge the failure of the military option and completely lift the blockade on Yemen.
Kata’ib Hezbollah, in a statement released on Monday, said the operations carried out by Yemeni Armed Forces are in reprisal for Saudi Arabia’s brutal onslaught and siege against their homeland, and in defense of their dignity and fundamental rights.
It noted that Iraqi people from every walk of life and resistance factions stand by Yemen, describing the Yemeni cause as a just cause that requires solidarity and support as it confronts Riyadh’s US-Israeli-backed atrocious assaults.
Kata’ib Hezbollah went on to address the Saudi leadership, particularly Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, calling on them to acknowledge the failure of the military option and completely lift the blockade imposed on Yemeni people.
Continued military and economic pressure will never manage to undermine Yemenis’ determination to safeguard their rights and reject foreign guardianship and interference, the statement read.
Kata’ib Hezbollah highlighted that Iraq will continue to support just aspirations in West Asia, characterizing the causes of Palestine and Yemen as the region’s foremost issues.
On July 20, the Sana’a government announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in response to “an unjust and oppressive siege” on Yemen for almost 12 years.
Subsequently, the Yemeni armed forces have reported a series of successful missions that have targeted vessels associated with Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.
In March 2015, Saudi Arabia and its allies imposed a blockade on Yemen, initiating a comprehensive military offensive that received support in terms of military, political, and logistical assistance from the United States and several Western countries.
Tens of thousands of Yemenis have lost their lives; however, Saudi Arabia has failed to achieve its primary goal of reestablishing a puppet government that served its interests.
US treasury bonds (the benchmark asset for the entire global dollar system) have experienced their worst returns in history... The war Israel pushed us into is slowly demolishing the American economy and financial system
Following the attack on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the usual suspects emerged from the social media muck to condemn Ansarallah. “These reprehensible attacks demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life. They must stop now,” demanded Trump’s secretary of state, Marco Rubio.
Bibi Netanyahu, “on behalf of the people of Israel,” condemned the attack and declared the Zionist state “looks forward to a strong Middle East—one that stands united against threats, protects its people, and builds a future of security, cooperation, and prosperity for all the peoples of our region,” never mind the 200,000-680,000 people of the region he butchered over the last three years.
Kaja Kallas, the former president of Estonia and current High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, denounced the airport attack. “The Houthi attack on Riyadh’s international airport is an appalling act of terror. There can be no justification for indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure,” she said.
Kallas, like most European leaders, insists Israel has a “right to defend itself” against Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and yet “self-defense” is not a legitimate response for the people of Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, all victims of Israeli and US aggression.
António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, is “deeply shocked” by the Yemeni retaliation, and criticized the attack on the Saudi airport as a violation of international law.
If Guterres is concerned about international law and the bombing of civilian infrastructure, why hasn’t the UN invoked Chapter VII of the UN Charter in regard to Gaza? “The UN’s member states collectively have a bad track record when it comes to preventing genocide,” writes Sean Matthews. “In the case of genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia, the UN only declared officially that genocides took place after the fact.”
G7 foreign ministers also weighed in on the attack, declaring the response to Saudi attacks poses an “unacceptable threat to regional stability and security, to global energy security,” as well as to security in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
In June, during a globalist conclave in Évian, the G7 issued a dilatory statement calling for an acceleration of “humanitarian and reconstruction efforts and the swift implementation of relevant political and security measures” in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, while knowing full well Zionist Israel will ignore international law and continue to murder and starve Palestinians while ethnically cleansing the Shi’a in southern Lebanon.
The official censure by the United States, the EU, UN, and G7, as well as the skewed reportage of the corporate media, overlooks the reason why Ansarallah is bombing Saudi airports and oil infrastructure.
Forgotten, or ignored, are the crimes of the Saudi coalition during and after the Yemen War of 2015. The coalition included the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and Sudan.
The Sunni coalition attacked after President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi fled house arrest into exile in Saudi Arabia. Hadi, who died earlier this year, stood accused of secretly working with al-Islah, described as the Muslim Brotherhood’s Yemeni branch. The former president was also accused of being a Saudi puppet. Saudi Arabia views Ansarallah—followers of the Shi’a branch of Zaydism—as a threat to its national security.
A detailed United Nations report estimated approximately 377,000 deaths by the end of 2021 from the Saudi-led campaign. This total includes direct losses from combat and indirect deaths linked to malnutrition, disease, and the decline of health care and essential services.
The United States was involved in the Yemen humanitarian crisis. US personnel provided logistical support, information, training, and advisers after the Saudi-led intervention. US tankers refueled coalition aircraft, increasing their range over Yemen. Saudi forces relied heavily on US-supplied aircraft, munitions, spare parts, maintenance, and technical support.
Jeff Bachman, a professor and genocide scholar at the School of Information Services, said during an interview with the American University in Washington that the Saudi-led coalition has been able to engage violence against Yemenis thanks to the complicit material and political support of the United States.
UN Security Council Resolution 2216 established a UN arms embargo. The restrictions implemented delayed or curtailed commercial imports and humanitarian shipments of food, fuel, medicines, and medical supplies. Because Yemen is dependent on imports, disruptions to port and airport operations rapidly worsened hunger, health-system strain, water and sanitation breakdowns, and prices, according to Human Rights Watch.
“The Saudi-led coalition’s military strategy in Yemen has been increasingly built around preventing desperately needed aid and essential goods from reaching civilians, risking millions of lives,” said James Ross, legal and policy director at Human Rights Watch. “The Security Council should urgently sanction Saudi and other coalition leaders responsible for blocking food, fuel, and medicine, causing hunger, sickness, and death.”
During a full closure in November 2017, UN agencies noted that aircraft and ships delivering aid could not secure clearance, while commercial cargo encountered major hurdles. Human Rights Watch stated that the coalition had maintained a naval and air blockade since March 2015, with restrictions producing a disproportionate impact on civilians in direct violation of international law.
Yemen remains one of the world’s most serious humanitarian emergencies. As of 2026, more than 22 million people need assistance or protection and 18.3 million people are acutely food insecure. Malnutrition levels remain critically high, with over 2.2 million children under five acutely malnourished, including 516,157 suffering from malnutrition, according to the United Nations. “Even before the latest escalation, an estimated 12.2 million children in Yemen needed humanitarian assistance,” UNICEF reported in September.
Article 51 of the UN Charter is a determining provision that addresses the right of self-defense for member states. It represents an exception to the general prohibition on the use of force outlined in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which mandates that all member states refrain from using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, as the Saudis did in 2015 in Yemen.
On October 10, following the Ansarallah attacks, Trump announced the US may rejoin the latest Saudi onslaught on Yemen. “We’re going to look at it,” he told reporters. “We just found out about the recent attack. We will make a decision. We move very quickly.”
Prior to Trump’s announcement, Democrat Ro Khanna, who was detained during a visit to Israel in July, introduced a joint Yemen War Powers Resolution along with Republican Representative Thomas Massie on October 9. The resolution directs “the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Houthis in Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress.”
Congress is unable to decide whether to rejoin the Saudi effort to destroy Ansarallah and maintain the illegal war on the people of Yemen. In addition to debate on the constitutional legality of the Trump administration’s military assistance to the Saudis without a congressional consultation, members of Congress are concerned about the continued slaughter of civilians and the ongoing humanitarian crisis, considered one of the worst in the world, with around 24 million people, or nearly 80% of the population, needing assistance and protection.
Yemen’s Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, continued attacks against the King Khalid International Airport on Sunday, a day after one of its strikes on the facility killed 13 civilians. The Saudi aviation authority said that the 13 dead included four Saudis, two Bangladeshis, one American, one Egyptian, one Jordanian, one Syrian, one Palestinian, […]
Saudi airstrikes in Yemen killed at least 66 civilians, including eight children, and wounded 90 throughout September, according to the Yemen Data Project (YDP), as the war has significantly escalated since it was reignited by Saudi airstrikes on the Sanaa International Airport in July. The deadliest single incident for civilians was the September 7 bombing […]
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