Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi forces launched a fresh round of attacks against Saudi Arabia while consolidating their hold on Yemen’s western Red Sea coastline, according to Yemeni officials, as Saudi leadership held emergency discussions in Riyadh over how to respond to the group’s rapid territorial gains.
At the same time, Gulf Arab states delayed scheduled talks with Iran, fueling concerns that the broader Middle East conflict could widen further and put global oil supplies at greater risk.
On Monday, the Houthis said they launched dozens of missiles and drones at a military airbase in Khamis Mushait, in southern Saudi Arabia, striking aircraft hangars, radar installations, runways, and ammunition storage sites in what they described as retaliation for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen. Saudi authorities issued emergency alerts in that city and three others in the south. According to the Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen, 13 civilians were injured in the attacks.
The Houthis’ recent territorial advances, including their seizure of Perim Island near the mouth of the Red Sea, have added further strain on Saudi oil exports, coming just days after an aerial strike knocked out Saudi Arabia’s key east-west pipeline. Riyadh has attributed that attack to Iranian-backed militias operating in Iraq.
A satellite view shows a closer view of Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen, September 13, 2026. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reached the strategic island on September 11, according to four Yemeni government sources. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS
Significance of the East-West Pipeline
The pipeline, stretching 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) across Saudi territory, was originally built in the 1980s to move oil from the Gulf to the Red Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz during a period when the waterway was threatened by the Iran-Iraq war. Traders warn that an extended shutdown of the pipeline could remove as much as 4% of global oil supply from the market, particularly given the strait’s largely blocked status. Saudi officials have not indicated when the pipeline might resume operations.
The Saudi Response
In response to the Houthi offensive, Saudi and Yemeni air forces have intensified strikes against Houthi positions, including near the historic Red Sea port city of Mocha. Despite this, officials aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government say the Houthis continue to hold effective control over nearly the entire western coastline along the Red Sea.
Men gesture in a screen grab from a video released September 11, 2026 and said to show Khaled bin Walid camp after Houthis captured the city of Mocha in Taiz Province, AL-MASIRAH TV/Handout via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: Men gesture in a screen grab from a video released September 11, 2026 and said to show Khaled bin Walid camp after Houthis captured the city of Mocha in Taiz Province, AL-MASIRAH TV/Handout via REUTERS
One Yemeni official described the situation as a cycle of escalating pressure, noting that while the Houthis face significant military pressure, they are simultaneously ramping up their own campaign of missile and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia.
Oil prices spiked more than 4% on Monday before easing to close about 1% higher.
U.S. Reluctant to Get Directly Involved
The renewed fighting in Yemen presents another complication for President Trump. According to three sources who spoke with Reuters, Washington has so far declined Saudi requests for direct military involvement, limiting its support to intelligence sharing. Trump said over the weekend that he had spoken with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, and noted that the Houthis had also reached out to Washington, urging the U.S. to stay out of the conflict.
Saudi state media reported that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with U.S. regional military commander Admiral Brad Cooper in Jeddah on Monday.
Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition against the Houthis since 2015, though the conflict had largely stabilized under a ceasefire in recent years. Fighting resumed this month as Houthi forces pushed back against troops aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Diplomatic Hopes Dim
Oman had been set to host talks on Monday between Iran and Gulf states aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carried roughly 20% of global oil exports before the current conflict began. However, Oman announced the meeting had been postponed, with Iran stating the delay came at Saudi Arabia’s request.
Trump reiterated Monday his frequent claim that Iran is eager to reach a deal quickly, but Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, dismissed the president’s comments as a distraction, stating on social media that no negotiations would take place until Iran’s conditions were met.
Adding to the volatility of the region’s shipping routes, conflicting accounts emerged over the circumstances surrounding damage to an oil tanker. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed, without specifying a date, that the Panamanian-flagged tanker El Gaia had struck sea mines while transiting a restricted zone south of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.
PICTURE TAKEN JUNE 8, 2019: The oil tanker El Gaia at sea near Calshot, Southampton, Britain. Chas Betts/Handout via REUTERS Oil tanker was confirmed as “El Gaia” with the mast, bridge and freeboard that matched the archive imagery of the oil tanker. – The United Nations’ International Maritime Organization reported El Gaia was damaged on September 12, 2026, and that two seafarers were missing. – Location and name change from “Nave Dorado” to “El Gaia” in 2023 confirmed with ship tracking data. – Original file metadata.
However, U.S. Central Command quickly disputed that account, stating instead that the vessel had been struck by an Iranian missile the previous month and rendered inoperable. Separately, the UN’s International Maritime Organization confirmed the tanker was damaged on Saturday but did not specify how, adding that two crew members remain missing.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, has remained largely closed since the conflict began on February 28, as Iran has repeatedly threatened vessels attempting to pass through without its permission. In a statement, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy reiterated that it continues to maintain control over the strait, declaring it closed under its authority.
Source: Reuters
