Saudi-Houthi fighting in Yemen escalates: What happened, and what’s next?

Published On 8 Sep 20268 Sep 2026.

Key points

• It remarked an estimated 21, 000 residents, roughly 3, 000 families, have been displaced from Taiz alone since Thursday.
• Between March and mid-July, Saudi seaborne crude exports through Bab al-Mandeb were eight times higher than during the same period in 2025.
• A key focus of the fighting is the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
• The conflict between the Yemeni armed group and Saudi Arabia is unfolding as the Houthis are at present fighting Yemen's Riyadh-backed internationally recognised administration.
• While administration forces say their campaign ultimately seeks to retake the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, the Houthis have sought to advance towards the vital Red Sea shipping route.

As fighting between the Iran-aligned group and pro-Saudi forces in Yemen sharply escalates, yemen's Houthi group has carried out attacks in southern Saudi Arabia, with Riyadh saying that dozens of individuals have been wounded.

Meanwhile, the Houthis on Tuesday remarked they targeted Saudi energy sites belonging to oil giant Aramco in southern areas, with the group's military spokesperson calling it "a broad operation".

Saudi authorities confirmed attacks on a number of facilities and installations related to the energy sector in the south of the country, vowing a firm response. Riyadh additionally accused the Houthis of wounding at least 73 residents in the attacks.

Notably, the conflict between the Yemeni armed group and Saudi Arabia is unfolding as the Houthis are at present fighting Yemen's Riyadh-backed internationally recognised administration. It confirmed that it was launching counteroffensives against Houthi-held positions throughout a number of provinces on Monday.

After eight years of a full-blown conflict that killed tens of thousands of individuals in one of the world's poorest countries, the renewed hostilities are the most serious since a UN-brokered truce halted large-scale fighting in 2022.

Meanwhile, the escalation additionally comes as the strategic importance of Yemen's Bab al-Mandeb Strait grows against the backdrop of Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key passageway for global oil and gas supplies.

So what do we know regarding the latest fighting, and what comes next? How did the fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis unfold?

In practice, the Houthis on Monday remarked Saudi Arabia rolled out multiple attacks on Houthi-held areas.

Meanwhile, the group remarked Saudi attacks using aircraft and cruise missiles struck al-Jawf, al-Bayda, Marib and Taiz provinces.

Moreover, the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out an air strike on a prison in al-Hazm, the capital of al-Jawf, killing seven individuals and injuring seven others. Riyadh did not immediately comment on the attacks.

Meanwhile, the Houthis asserted to have shot down Saudi reconnaissance drones over al-Jawf and al-Bayda.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Major-General Turki al-Malki, the Saudi spokesman for the Riyadh-led coalition in Yemen, remarked the Houthis carried out attacks on the Saudi cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran, injuring at least 73 residents, among them women and children.

According to a statement from Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry, the strikes additionally triggered fires at multiple oil installations and utility sites throughout the kingdom's southern provinces.

Southern Saudi Arabia is home to key oil infrastructure, including the Jazan refinery, one of the kingdom's largest, with the capacity to process 400, 000 barrels of crude per day.

Shortly after, the Houthis confirmed that they had targeted Saudi energy infrastructure operated by oil giant Aramco in the south using drones and ballistic missiles.

Notably, the group's military spokesman, Yahya Saree, remarked the attacks were retaliation for recent Saudi attacks on Houthi-controlled areas throughout Yemen. Why is this escalation taking place now?

Notably, a key focus of the fighting is the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

Meanwhile, the Houthis declared a blockade against Saudi shipping in July. The Houthis have additionally pushed towards government-held areas near al-Makha (Mocha) and territory bordering the Bab al-Mandeb Strait against the backdrop of reinforcements and counteroffensives from administration forces.

In practice, the strait's strategic importance has rose dramatically as Iran's restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz have forced Saudi Arabia to rely more heavily on its Red Sea export route. Between March and mid-July, Saudi seaborne crude exports through Bab al-Mandeb were eight times higher than during the same period in 2025.

In 2024, regarding 4.1 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products passed through the strait daily on average – concerning 5 percent of the global total.

Ahmed Nagi, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, remarked the strait holds importance "when we look at the Houthis' broader strategy".

"The move towards the western coast is not only regarding gaining territory on the ground. It additionally has a maritime dimension, " he informed Al Jazeera.

"The Houthis have already linked their military campaign to the Red Sea and the shipping routes around Bab al-Mandeb. So gaining more control over the. Western coast could offer them greater depth and allow them to sustain pressure on maritime traffic in the Red Sea. In that sense, the ground offensive and their maritime campaign are closely connected."

Meanwhile, the latest escalation additionally follows fighting that resumed in July after an Iranian aircraft attempted to land in Sanaa without Saudi authorisation, followed by strikes on Sanaa airport and Houthi retaliation. What is happening between administration forces and the Houthis?

As fighting spread throughout a number of fronts, on Sunday, Yemen's internationally recognised administration stated its warplanes had struck Houthi positions in Hodeidah, Marib and al-Jawf.

On Monday, government-aligned forces stepped up their counteroffensive. While additionally reporting rocket attacks on Yatma and "intensive battles" with Houthi fighters in the province, they confirmed a ground push towards the al-Labanat mountains in al-Jawf. Administration forces additionally asserted advances towards Dhi Na'im district in al-Bayda.

Notably, the Houthis remarked they had repelled the advance towards al-Labanat and inflicted casualties on government-aligned forces. Houthi official Mohammed al-Farah additionally maintained the group fired ballistic missiles at reinforcements in al-Jawf.

By late Monday, government-aligned forces documented carrying out further air attacks against Houthi positions west of Taiz.

Al Jazeera could not independently verify the battlefield claims by the Houthis or the Yemeni administration.

Rashad al-Alimi, who heads Yemen's Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council, meanwhile remarked on Monday that administration forces had created significant gains against the Houthis, pointing to advances in al-Jawf, al-Bayda, Taiz and Hodeidah.

"Our armed forces will continue to carry out their constitutional duty until state institutions are restored and their authority extends over the entire territory of Yemen, " al-Alimi remarked in an official note.

Yemen's deputy defence minister, Major-General Samir al-Sabri, remarked in comments aired on state television that the administration had resolved to "retake Sanaa".

Majid al-Nuzaili, a spokesperson for government-aligned forces, remarked the goal of the offensive was to "liberate Yemen from the grip" of the Houthis "and restore Sanaa as a capital for all Yemenis". What is the humanitarian situation on the ground?

In practice, the World Health Organization remarked on Monday that at least 728 residents have been killed or wounded in Yemen since August 23, with the majority in Taiz and along the western coast.

Al Jazeera's Yousef Mawry, reporting from Sanaa, remarked the casualty count is anticipated to rise.

"These casualties are said to be in the hundreds from both sides, especially as we have reports of air strikes being conducted in the governorate of al-Jawf, " he remarked.

In practice, the Crisis Group's Nagi remarked the world was witnessing "significant deterioration in what is already a catastrophic situation".

Taken together, the developments around saudi-Houthi fighting in Yemen escalates: What happened, and what's next? Point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.