Date: September 21, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
Houthi fighters pushed on Monday to seize strategic highland positions in Yemen in an effort to cut off the country’s Red Sea coast from areas still controlled by Saudi-backed forces, as reports emerged that U.S. President Donald Trump had called off planned American airstrikes against the group at the last minute.
The latest developments mark another escalation in Yemen, where a rapid Houthi advance this month has expanded the wider Middle East conflict and raised concerns about further disruption to global energy supplies and shipping.
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had prepared on Sunday to launch airstrikes against Houthi positions following renewed requests from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to the report, however, Trump cancelled the strikes at the last minute, even as U.S. military personnel were loading bombs onto aircraft.
Reuters said it could not immediately independently verify the report. U.S. Central Command referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The reported decision came as Saudi Arabia continued fighting the Houthis, who have made significant territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. The Houthis have controlled Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, since 2014 and this month seized parts of the Red Sea coast after routing forces aligned with the Saudi-backed government.
Five Yemeni military sources told Reuters that Houthi forces were seeking to capture the Kahboub Mountains in the provinces of Taiz and Lahij. The strategic heights separate the Red Sea coast from government-held territory farther south.
Fighting has been concentrated around the Al-Wazi'iyah district in Taiz province and Ras al-Ara along the Indian Ocean coast. The sources said control of the mountain positions would help the Houthis secure their rear positions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and potentially open additional fronts.
Saudi Arabia has carried out hundreds of strikes against Houthi positions in the highlands in recent days, according to the Houthis. The United Nations estimates that nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands injured in the latest fighting, while almost 130,000 Yemenis have been displaced inside the country. More than 3,000 others have reportedly crossed the Red Sea by boat to Africa.
The conflict is also threatening an increasingly important maritime and energy corridor. The Houthis have gained control of territory around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic waterway linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and a major route for international shipping.
The development is particularly significant for Saudi Arabia because the Red Sea route has served as an alternative pathway for some of the kingdom’s oil exports while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted by the wider regional conflict. Reuters reported that Saudi oil shipments through Hormuz have increased sharply in recent days as Red Sea loadings have been halted.
The Houthis said on Saturday that they had fired toward Riyadh. Loud explosions were reported in the Saudi capital, followed by columns of smoke near the airport, although Saudi authorities have not publicly confirmed the reported attack.
Saudi Arabia has also reported intercepting Houthi missiles and has continued airstrikes against Houthi-held areas. The fighting has raised concerns that the conflict could further disrupt oil supplies, shipping and fuel markets already under pressure from the wider Middle East war.
Trump spoke on Sunday with Rashid al-Alimi, the president of Yemen’s Saudi-backed internationally recognized government, after al-Alimi requested U.S. military assistance, according to four sources cited by Reuters. Two of the sources said Trump made no direct commitment to provide military support during the call.
The United States previously conducted a two-month bombing campaign against the Houthis in early 2025 before Trump ended the strikes following a ceasefire agreement with the group. Washington has since stayed out of the latest fighting, despite repeated Saudi requests for assistance.
The latest Houthi advance has therefore presented the Trump administration with a difficult policy decision as it weighs support for Saudi Arabia against the possibility of becoming more directly involved in another front of the broader regional conflict.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to ease the wider conflict remain stalled. An interim agreement between the United States and Iran reached in June collapsed within weeks, while Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
The continuing Houthi advance toward strategic highlands and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is being closely watched because further changes in control of the area could have consequences well beyond Yemen, particularly for maritime trade, Saudi oil exports and the already strained global energy market.