DevelopingConflictTimeline
Saudi–Houthi War
Updated 28 updatessince 214 outlets
The Saudi Arabia–Houthi War centers on the ongoing conflict between Houthi rebels and Saudi-led forces, marked by escalating attacks on commercial shipping and infrastructure.
Timeline
Now
Clashes between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces raged overnight, marking a significant uptick in violence.
32 sources · AP, Reuters
Houthi rebels claimed new strikes against Saudi infrastructure, specifically targeting an oil facility and a Yemeni port, leading to multiple casualties.
22 sources · BBC, New York Times
Houthis Reveal New Missile Capabilities
EscalationHouthis released new footage demonstrating their anti-ship and submarine missile capabilities, escalating tensions with Saudi Arabia.
30 sources · Reuters, New York Times
Multiple oil tankers changed course in the Red Sea after threats from the Houthis against vessels using Saudi ports.
15 sources · Reuters, BBC
Houthis confirmed the implementation of a naval blockade targeting Saudi Arabia, warning that any vessels using Saudi ports in the Red Sea would face military action.
36 sources · New York Times, Reuters
Saudi Arabia Considers Military Response
EscalationSaudi Arabia is evaluating a military response to Houthi threats, with a senior official reporting that the US has granted a broad remit for offensive operations against the Houthis.
23 sources · Reuters, BBC
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi warned that Saudi oil facilities would become targets for missile attacks if Riyadh continues its military actions in Yemen.
11 sources · AP, New York Times
Houthi Leader Threatens Further Attacks
EscalationHouthi leader Khaled B. Eno reportedly threatened Saudi Arabia with increased military attacks, hinting at a deterioration of the current ceasefire.
12 sources · Reuters, AP
Houthi rebels in Yemen fired multiple ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia's Abha International Airport on July 15, 2026, marking the most severe attack on the kingdom in several years.
31 sources · Reuters, AP
Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes on Sanaa International Airport on July 13, 2026, targeting the runway to stop an Iranian passenger plane carrying Houthi officials from landing.
5 sources · BBC, Timesofindia
UN Evacuates Wounded Houthi Rebels for Talks
De-escalationUnited Nations coordinated the evacuation of fifty wounded Houthi rebels from the capital, Sana'a, to facilitate their medical treatment prior to upcoming peace talks set to occur in Sweden.
18 sources · BBC, Reuters
Iran Envoy Supports Houthi Escalation
EscalationIran's envoy to the Houthis visited Sana'a as the militia ramped up its military activities.
13 sources · BBC, Reuters
Houthis Ready to Resume Aggression
EscalationReports indicate that the Houthis are preparing to resume aggressive actions, suggesting a potential return to their previous military strategies.
16 sources · BBC, New York Times
Saudi-iran Relations Shift Amid War
De-escalationSaudi Arabia's approach towards Iran has been reported to be shifting, as it prefers accommodation with Iran and Iranian-backed groups compared to regional allies like the UAE who are taking a more aggressive stance.
22 sources · New York Times, NPR
Houthis have entered the Iran war contextually, opting for a restrained approach and not participating in the regional economic warfare led by Iran.
10 sources · ABC News, Al Jazeera
Coverage highlighted that the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran further strengthens Saudi Arabia's dependence on the United States as its primary defense partner.
4 sources · Reuters, New York Times
Houthis strike Prince Sultan Air Base
EscalationHouthis, supported by Iran, attacked Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, injuring 15 American personnel.
17 sources · NPR, New York Times
In December 2025, forces supported by the United Arab Emirates successfully captured oil-rich provinces in southern Yemen, sweeping across six governorates.
18 sources · New York Times, NPR
Current analysis highlights how the longstanding rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the UAE has significantly reshaped strategies and outcomes in the Yemen war since the Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014.
14 sources · New York Times, Warontherocks
Saudi Arabia disclosed details of its recent bombing of Mukalla, alleging that the UAE has supported separatists in Yemen.
2 sources · Reuters, Bloomberg
Saudi Arabian forces bombed the port city of Mukalla in Yemen, striking a shipment of weapons from the United Arab Emirates intended for separatist forces.
3 sources · AP, NPR
Yemen's Houthi rebels have resumed threats aimed at Saudi Arabia, warning of possible cross-border attacks.
7 sources · BBC, The Economist
Amnesty International released a report stating that an April airstrike conducted by the United States on a prison controlled by the Houthi rebels in Yemen resulted in the deaths of over 60 African migrants.
13 sources · Reuters, AP
European Union Institute for Security Studies reported that the recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025 has reshaped the regional strategic landscape.
15 sources · Reuters, Al Jazeera
On September 18, 2025, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement in Riyadh, indicating an enhanced military collaboration.
7 sources · AP, Reuters
Houthis Launch Missiles at Israel
EscalationHouthis launched two missiles aimed at Israel, but the missiles fell apart over Saudi Arabia, and a drone was intercepted before reaching Israeli territory.
22 sources · BBC, Reuters
Houthi rebels launched missile attacks on a chemical tanker in the Red Sea, marking a shift in their military tactics.
21 sources · Reuters, AP
On November 19, 2023, Yemen's Houthi rebels carried out a helicopter-borne seizure of the car carrier Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea. That attack is widely reported as the opening act of the Houthis' campaign against commercial shipping in the Red Sea corridor, which triggered subsequent strikes on merchant vessels and…
1 source · AP
- Origin Nov 19, 2023
The story so far
As of August 13, 2026
This is the latest flare-up in a nearly decade-long conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement, a war that blends cross-border strikes, proxy entanglements, competition among anti-Houthi factions, and now Red Sea brinkmanship over commercial shipping. It matters because it threatens Gulf civilian aviation and seaborne trade, pulls in regional powers and the United States, and keeps Yemen’s fractured battleground volatile.
After Saudi-led intervention in Yemen’s civil war, hostilities ebbed and surged despite intermittent talks, with the Houthis consolidating control in the north and striking inside Saudi territory with drones and missiles. In late 2025, Riyadh inked a mutual defense pact with Pakistan, Houthis renewed threats, and Saudi jets hit Mukalla while alleging the UAE was arming southern separatists, exposing rifts among nominal allies. A fragile ceasefire reduced major exchanges but remained tenuous amid sharper confrontation between Israel and Iran and Saudi reliance on U.S. air defense backing.
The current chapter began with airports: Saudi warplanes struck Sanaa International Airport’s runway to block an Iranian passenger flight, and the Houthis replied with a missile and drone attack on Abha International Airport in southern Saudi Arabia. Houthi leaders Abdul Malik al-Houthi and Khaled B. Eno then threatened more attacks, naming Saudi oil facilities as targets. The fight moved to the sea as the Houthis declared a Red Sea blockade of Saudi-bound traffic and warned vessels using Saudi ports, after which multiple tankers changed course and at least two Saudi crude carriers made U-turns. The group showcased anti-ship and purported submarine missiles, then claimed strikes on a Saudi oil site and the Red Sea port of Mokha that killed seven and wounded 15. Ground combat has since intensified, including overnight clashes with Yemeni government forces, and Riyadh is weighing broader operations with U.S. authorization for offensive action.
What this now turns on is whether the Houthis can turn long-range and maritime capabilities into sustained pressure on Saudi oil flows and port access without prompting a full return to war, and whether Riyadh answers localized attacks with a wider campaign. The risk of major conflict is the highest since the 2022 truce, and tanker diversions show the shipping threat is already shaping decisions on the water. Key facts remain unresolved, including the scale of damage and casualties at Abha, the operational status of the submarine missile the Houthis displayed, and the extent of any U.S. remit for Saudi strikes, which has not been publicly detailed. Claims from the front lines and around recent strikes are hard to verify given access limits, complicating early damage assessment and battle mapping.
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