Houthi Blitz in Yemen Nears Major US Base, Launch Fresh Saudi Attacks

Fighting in Yemen has escalated, with government forces carrying out strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels along the Red Sea coast as the rebels launched further attacks towards neighbouring Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government has said it will send more forces to the coast after suffering what it described as a “painful” defeat last week. Houthi fighters captured the port city of Mokha and an island near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital maritime passage and an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz.