Houthi fighters are pushing to seize strategic heights in Yemen's highlands to cut off the Red Sea coast from Saudi-backed government forces, days after President Trump reportedly called off US airstrikes on the group at the last minute. The advance has forced Saudi Arabia to reroute oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, helping cap global crude prices even as US diesel prices hit a record high.
Houthi fighters pushed on Monday to seize strategic heights in Yemen's highlands, aiming to cut off the Red Sea coast from areas still held by Saudi-backed government forces. The advance came after a report that President Trump had called off US airstrikes on the group at the last minute, even as troops were loading bombs onto aircraft.
Houthis push into Yemen's highlands
Five Yemeni military sources said the Houthis are now seeking to seize the Kahboub Mountains in Taiz and Lahij provinces, heights that separate the Red Sea coast from the government's territory in the south. Fighting has centered on the outskirts of Taiz's remote Al-Wazi'iyah district and on Ras al-Ara along the Indian Ocean coast, according to the sources. Taking the heights would let the Houthis secure the rear of their forces around the Bab al-Mandab Strait and open new fronts, protecting positions they captured around Dhubab and Perim Island during this month's advance.
Saudi Arabia has launched hundreds of strikes on Houthi positions in the highlands in recent days, the Houthis say, but the air campaign has done little to slow the advance as Saudi-backed government forces have melted away. Nearly 700 people have been killed and thousands injured in the fighting, the United Nations says, and more than 120,000 Yemenis have fled their homes within the country, with thousands more crossing the Red Sea to Africa by boat.
Trump reportedly calls off strikes despite Saudi pleas
The New York Times reported that the Trump administration prepared on Sunday to launch airstrikes against the Houthis after fresh pleas from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but that Trump called off the strikes at the last minute as troops were loading bombs onto aircraft. Reuters could not immediately verify the report, and US Central Command did not respond to a request for comment.
Washington has so far rebuffed repeated Saudi requests to join the fight directly. The Houthis said Saturday they fired on Riyadh, where loud booms were followed by columns of smoke visible near the airport; Saudi Arabia has not commented on what would be the first apparent strikes on its capital since the escalation began.
Oil exports reroute as diesel hits a record
The Houthis' control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait threatens to cut off the alternative route Saudi Arabia has used for oil exports that bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Satellite data show Saudi exports through Hormuz reaching 2.9 million barrels per day in recent days, up from just 700,000 in August, as tankers with transponders off shuttle oil out at record fees before transferring it to other ships bound for Asia.
The rerouting has helped cap the global price of crude oil, which has retreated closer to $100 a barrel after approaching $110 last week. Consumers are feeling less relief: the US retail price of diesel hit another all-time high above $6.51 a gallon on Monday, up from about $3.75 before Trump launched the war alongside Israel in February.
Source: Investing.com
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