By AZE.US
Nearly 700 people have been killed and about 130,000 displaced as Houthi forces push toward strategic highlands in southwestern Yemen after taking territory along the Red Sea coast, according to the United Nations.
The Houthis are trying to seize the Qahbub mountains in the provinces of Taiz and Lahj. The heights separate the Red Sea coast under Houthi control from southern areas held by Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.
More than 3,000 people have crossed the Red Sea to Africa, while thousands have been wounded, the United Nations said.
Fight for the Bab al-Mandab Route
Five Yemeni military sources told Reuters that the main fighting was concentrated around the mountainous Al-Wazi’iyah area and the Ras al-Ara coast, between the Bab al-Mandab strait and Aden. Control of the heights could determine whether the Houthis consolidate their recent territorial gains.
The Houthis said Saudi Arabia had carried out hundreds of airstrikes against their positions. The number of strikes could not be independently verified.
Trump Gave No Pledge of Military Support
Rashad al-Alimi, president of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, asked U.S. President Donald Trump for support during a telephone call, two sources told Reuters. Trump did not make a direct commitment to provide military assistance, they said.
The New York Times reported that the United States had prepared strikes against Houthi positions but that Trump canceled the operation at the last moment. Reuters could not independently confirm the report, and the White House did not comment.
Oil Supply Risks Increase
The Houthi advance threatens the route through Bab al-Mandab, which Saudi Arabia uses as an alternative to the unstable Strait of Hormuz. Saudi oil exports through Hormuz recently rose to about 2.9 million barrels a day from 700,000 barrels in August.
Pressure on both strategic waterways increases risks to oil supplies, freight costs and marine insurance.
AZE.US