Categories
Yemen conflict escalating into regional war
Yemen conflict escalating into regional war: As it happened
The Saudi-backed government has kicked off a major offensive on Houthis, with battles raging around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait Published 6 Oct, 2026 13:18 | Updated 7 Oct, 2026 05:15Source: x/spokespersonyemSaudi-backed Yemeni government forces have launched a major offensive against the Iranian-backed Houthis, with both sides claiming territorial gains as battles rage around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
The escalation comes after the Houthis took over the key territory around Bab el-Mandeb in September, one of the world’s most important shipping chokepoints, which has gained particular significance amid disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz caused by the US-Iran war.
On Monday, the Yemeni army claimed to have pushed north along the Red Sea coast toward Mocha, while announcing “a strategic offensive operation on Sanaa,” which serves as the de facto capital of the Houthi movement.
Read more Houthis claim new gains as Yemeni troops launch major offensive (VIDEOS)Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, agreed with Türkiye and Pakistan to rapidly deploy military forces under the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, also known as the “Muslim NATO.” The coalition already announced that 100 warplanes are supporting the Yemeni offensive.
The Houthis have denied the government gains, claiming to have made headway around Taiz, some 80km from the Red Sea coast. The group has also retaliated with ballistic missiles and drones against Saudi targets, claiming strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, military bases, and Aramco oil facilities, including the Rabigh refinery. Saudi Arabia has confirmed damage from Houthi attacks on airports at Jizan and Najran.
The Houthis have consistently accused Riyadh of waging an “aggression” and blockade against Yemen, arguing that Saudi military operations serve US and Israeli interests. Their Yemeni opponents, meanwhile, view Houthis – who identify themselves as part of the “Axis of Resistance” – as “terrorists” and insurgents who overthrew the internationally recognized government in 2014.
The conflict in Yemen in its current form began when the Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa more than a decade ago, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention. However, fighting largely subsided after a 2022 truce.
Amid the fighting in Yemen and continued US-Iran standoff, US President Donald Trump argued that record gas prices are being driven not by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz but by Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.This live feed has now ended.
Syria is considering joining the war against Yemen’s Houthis, according to Hiba Nasr, Washington bureau chief for Saudi outlet Asharq News. Nasr cited multiple sources as saying the idea is under discussion but that no final decision has been made.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Riyadh on Tuesday and met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with official readouts saying the two discussed regional security and developments but making no mention of Yemen.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is in Riyadh for talks with MBS. https://t.co/LWZajNI04M
Yemen’s Houthis say they carried out a large-scale missile and drone attack on several Saudi military camps and weapons depots in the southwestern border regions of Jizan and Asir, close to Yemen.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed dozens of Saudi soldiers and officers were killed or wounded and that several ammunition stores caught fire. Saudi authorities have not confirmed the reported attacks.
Yemen’s Houthis say they have shot down a Saudi CH-4B armed reconnaissance drone over Al-Jawf province.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the Royal Saudi Air Force unmanned aircraft was carrying out “hostile missions” when it was downed with what he described only as an “appropriate weapon.”
Ansar Allah announced that it had shot down a Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) CH-4B Rainbow unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) over Al-Jawf Governorate. https://t.co/NFwH84ecPF
Yemen’s Transport Ministry says Houthi forces targeted Aden International Airport early on Wednesday with two ballistic missiles and several explosive-laden drones, forcing an inbound passenger flight to divert.
The ministry said one missile landed near the runway “minutes” before Yemenia flight 603 from Cairo was due to land, prompting authorities to reroute the aircraft to Jeddah. Passengers and staff were evacuated from the terminal, while two aircraft on the ground were moved away after drones were detected over Aden.
The Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile north of Riyadh. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said the missile had been launched from Houthi-controlled territory. He added that coalition intelligence systems were tracking the launch platform over Sanaa and vowed that it would be destroyed.
READ MORE: Houthis claim strikes on Riyadh airportNew reports have emerged of another possible Houthi missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, with OSINT accounts claiming ballistic missiles targeted the facility. Saudi authorities have yet to confirm that any new strike took place or report damage.
The Houthis had claimed a “direct and precise hit” on the same airport the previous night, although Riyadh did not specifically confirm that claim. Saudi aviation authorities have since acknowledged Houthi strikes on airports in Jazan and Najran, where three people were injured.
New satellite imagery dated October 6 and circulated by Soar Atlas also appears to show damage at an AESSCO facility at King Khalid airport, with one warehouse visibly darkened and a faint possible smoke trail.
💥🔥Satellite imagery from Oct 6 appears to show damage at an AESSCO facility at King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh. The warehouse is dark with a faint trail of possible smoke coming from it. Explore and Compare: https://t.co/i1hK75z2En #SaudiArabia #MiddleEast #Riyadh https://t.co/uOgqaBjDLT
Aden security authorities have confirmed that two Houthi missiles targeted the city’s international airport early on Wednesday, following two powerful explosions reported near the facility.
The Aden security department’s media office said the strike caused no casualties. Footage circulating online showed smoke rising from the airport area after the impacts.
⚠️Ansarullah, Aden Suudi Hükümetini vurdu! Büyük bir güvenlik gücü, ambulans araçları önde, Aden Suudi Hükümetine bağlı Genel kurmay binasına ve Aden havalimanına gidiyor! Askeri merkez, Havalimanı, hükümet binasının hedef alındığı bildiriliyor! https://t.co/THnqBniXTq
Aden is controlled by Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognized government and serves as its temporary capital after the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014. Government forces retook full control of the airport earlier this year, and the city has since functioned as a key political and military logistics hub for the anti-Houthi camp.
Pro-government journalists had also reported in recent days that Saudi and Pakistani cargo shipments arrived at Aden airport, although those claims have not been independently verified.
Two powerful explosions have rocked areas around Aden International Airport in southern Yemen, Al Jazeera reported, citing its correspondents on the ground.
Footage circulating online appears to show columns of smoke rising from the airport area and at least one impact. OSINT accounts claimed that Ansar Allah targeted the facility with two ballistic missiles, but the group has yet to issue an official statement and there is no confirmed information on casualties or damage.
Footage shows columns of smoke rising from Aden International Airport following an Ansar Allah ballistic missile attack. The second video (right) shows one of the impacts. Apparently, two ballistic missiles were used in the attack. https://t.co/Xgp9krSCD3
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces say they repelled two separate Houthi attacks in Taiz province.
The Southern Giants Brigades said they pushed back an assault on their positions in the Dhubab district on Yemen’s western coast, claiming to have inflicted “heavy losses in personnel and equipment” on the Houthis. Separately, another Houthi attack was allegedly thwarted in the al-Salu district, south of Taiz, with 12 fighters “neutralised” and several others wounded.
قوات العمالقة الجنوبية تكسر هجومًا حوثيًا على مواقعها في قطاع المطار بمديرية ذوباب في الساحل الغربي، وتكبّد مليشيا الحوثي خسائر فادحة في الأرواح والعتاد، وتجبرها على التراجع تجرّ أذيال الهزيمة. https://t.co/whNBezGKST
Saudi researcher Salman al-Ansari told RT that the Houthis have “no option but to surrender,” arguing that mounting pressure from Saudi-backed Yemeni forces and the newly activated Mecca Defense Alliance is narrowing their room for maneuver.
Al-Ansari claimed the pact is primarily defensive and is expected to focus on intelligence sharing and protecting Saudi Arabia from attacks rather than launching a major offensive campaign in Yemen. Turkish and Pakistani forces, he suggested, would serve mainly as a deterrent to regional threats.
He also rejected claims that Riyadh had asked Washington to fight its war directly, saying Saudi Arabia instead seeks US intelligence support and targeting assistance.
The Houthis will “meet escalation with escalation” and could expand attacks to more Saudi airports, al-Bukhaiti has told RT.
“The door to escalation remains open to target other airports,” he said, urging international airlines to heed warnings for their safety.
He also warned employees of Saudi state oil giant Aramco to stay away from the company’s facilities.
Read more ‘Muslim NATO’ activates force deployment over Houthi attacks on Saudi ArabiaPakistan and Türkiye should stay out of the conflict or face a Houthi response, senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti has told RT following the activation of Islamabad and Ankara’s collective-defense commitments with Saudi Arabia.
“We will be forced to defend ourselves against any participation from any other country, whether Islamic or non-Islamic, Arab or non-Arab,” he said, urging both governments to reconsider and arguing that foreign involvement would not shift the military balance in Riyadh’s favor.
Senior Houthi political official and spokesperson Mohammed al-Bukhaiti has denied Yemeni government claims of recapturing Mocha and securing Bab el-Mandeb.
He told RT that opposing forces briefly advanced near Dhubab airport, north of the strait, but were subsequently driven back.
“The enemy never reached the Bab el-Mandeb area,” he said, adding that government forces had not entered Mocha either. He argued that the offensive would prompt the Houthis to expand their control around the strait to establish a buffer zone.
More than 270 Yemeni government troops and Iran-backed Houthi fighters have been killed over the past 24 hours as hostilities escalate, sources on both sides told AFP on Tuesday.
The outlet reported, citing anonymous government officials, that Yemen’s forces lost 115 troops, with dozens more wounded in fighting, as well as Houthi missile and drone attacks.
Videos shared by the Houthis purportedly show ballistic strikes against vehicles used by Saudi-backed armed groups in Ras Al-Arah in southern Yemen.
Yemen has become “a kind of Vietnam for Saudi Arabia,” political scientist Dr. Mehmet Rakipoglu told RT, arguing that Riyadh has failed to defeat the Houthis despite a decade of military involvement.
He cautioned that activating the Mecca defense pact does not mean automatic deployment, stressing that Türkiye and Pakistan have agreed to send forces to Saudi Arabia, rather than Yemen.
Rakipoglu described Ankara’s approach as “strategic patience,” arguing that it wants to determine the timing and form of any confrontation on its own terms.
Pakistan is “fully on board” with military support for Saudi Arabia and has taken Houthi warnings seriously, veteran Pakistani newspaper editor Kaswar Klasra told RT, pointing to repeated visits by Pakistan’s military chief to Riyadh and Istanbul and Islamabad’s pledge to defend the kingdom.
“The Saudi conflict is not only between Saudi Arabia and Houthis,” Klasra said, arguing that the Mecca pact makes Pakistan a party to the confrontation and also involves Türkiye.
Read more Have Pakistan, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia just launched an ‘Islamic NATO’?The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, signed in August, links Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan under a collective-defense pledge, which treats an armed attack on one member as an attack on all. It has been widely dubbed “Muslim NATO” for its similarity to the Western military bloc’s Article 5.
On Monday, the three countries agreed to implement collective-defense measures and arrange the rapid deployment of military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia following Houthi attacks.
However, deployments remain subject to national laws and agreed arrangements. No troop numbers or timetable were announced, and the decision does not confirm Turkish or Pakistani participation in fighting inside Yemen.
Oil could reach $200 a barrel if Middle Eastern shipments are disrupted again, Vitol CEO Russell Hardy has warned.
The world’s largest independent oil trader’s chief said increased Gulf exports after months of disruption from the US-Israeli war on Iran were preventing a price surge. However, tankers transferring cargoes outside Hormuz face lengthy waits, reducing vessel availability and raising costs.
Western stockpiles cushioning the shortfall have also been depleted, he warned, with fuel supplies likely to remain tight into winter.
The G7 and its partners have announced a release of 100 million barrels of crude and diesel from emergency reserves.
The Arab League has condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Jazan and Najran airports, saying they endangered passengers and staff and constituted “a flagrant violation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty.”
In a statement shared on X, the 22-member bloc warned that continued escalation threatens neighboring countries and international waterways, while reaffirming support for Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
© Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “TV-Novosti”, 2005–2026. All rights reserved.
This website uses cookies. Read RT Privacy policy to find out more.