Houthis advance in Yemen, attack Saudi Arabia as rebel forces near US base in Djibouti

Fighting intensified in Yemen on Sunday as government forces launched attacks against Iran-backed Houthi rebels along the Red Sea coast, while the Houthis claimed attacks on neighbouring Saudi Arabia, escalating fears of a return to a wider civil war.Yemen's internationally recognised government vowed to deploy more forces to the Red Sea after suffering what it described as a “painful” defeat last week, when the Houthis captured the port city of Mokha and an island near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.The escalation has displaced more than 82,000 people in Yemen since the beginning of September, according to the United Nations migration agency, adding to the humanitarian crisis in the impoverished country.Houthis claim attacks on Saudi ArabiaSaudi authorities sounded air-raid sirens on Sunday afternoon in the southern city of Abha and Khamis Mushait province, warning residents to take shelter from possible incoming fire. Both areas have been repeatedly targeted by the Houthis in recent weeks.The Houthis claimed to have launched drones and missiles at targets in Saudi Arabia, including a military base just across the border from Yemen. Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree provided no evidence and did not specify when the alleged attack took place.Saudi civil defence authorities said overnight that a projectile fell in another area near the Yemen border along the Red Sea, injuring two people and damaging a mosque and several other buildings. Saudi authorities blamed the Houthis for the attack.Saudi Arabia did not announce any new attacks against Houthi positions.The Houthis have also targeted Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping as part of what they have described as a blockade. Although the group has said it does not intend to threaten commercial shipping from other countries, the attacks have raised concerns in global markets and contributed to renewed pressure on oil prices.Yemen vows to fight backThe National Resistance, a government-allied force that previously controlled parts of the country's western coast, said more than 500 government fighters had been killed along the west coast over the past four weeks. It also said around 1,500 others had been wounded since August 9.The force claimed that more than 1,000 Houthis had been killed in Hodeida and Taiz provinces. A Houthi spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.Sultan al-Arada, a member of Yemen's ruling presidential council, described the collapse of government forces in Mokha and other parts of the western coast as “painful and regrettable”.Al-Arada said in a televised interview aired late Saturday that forces “are currently regrouping and will return to the battle in one form or another.”The Yemeni military said Sunday that it had launched airstrikes on Houthi positions in Mokha, the coastal town of Dhubab and other areas of Taiz province.The Houthis also reported attacks by Saudi-backed forces in the province and artillery shelling in Saada province, their stronghold near Yemen's northern border with Saudi Arabia.Houthi advance nears US base in DjiboutiThe Houthi advance has brought the group to within around 20 miles (32 kilometres) of a major US military base in Djibouti, located across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.The base is the main US military installation in Africa and is located alongside facilities operated by China, France and Japan.Djibouti is also facing a growing humanitarian challenge as Yemenis flee across the dangerous waters separating the two countries.More than 2,000 Yemenis have reached Djibouti, according to the International Organization for Migration.Djibouti's Economy and Finance Minister Ilyas M. Dawaleh said on X that the country's navy, coast guard and other specialised agencies were carrying out rescue operations and providing emergency assistance.Displaced Yemenis fear another warThe latest escalation has deepened fears among Yemenis that the country could once again descend into a prolonged civil war.Yemen has more than 40 million people and has already endured a conflict that killed around 150,000 people and pushed millions towards famine.The internationally recognised Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia have been fighting the Houthis for 12 years, although a ceasefire that began in 2022 had largely halted major fighting.People fleeing the latest Houthi advance told The Associated Press that government forces had withdrawn from some areas and urged residents to flee.At a camp in Aden, Ahmad al-Masawi, director of the Al Salam camp, described the condition of displaced people as desperate.“The displaced people are in a very bad condition,” said Ahmad al-Masawi, the director of the Al Salam camp in the southern port city of Aden, who appealed to international organizations for assistance. “They left their homes quickly without any clothing or anything. They are crammed in camps, houses and even on roads."Hussein Haydara sat outside a shelter at the camp as his children waited to be assigned a tent. He said he was worried about the distance from schools, hospitals and markets and questioned how his family would survive in the coming weeks and months.Haydara had previously fled his home in Hodaida after the Houthis seized it in 2015. He said the latest displacement had been even more difficult because families had little time to prepare.“With the first displacement, we had time to plan things but this time we were forced to escape all of a sudden. One could hardly take their children and the lightest stuff possible,” he said.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.