Yemen Conflict Escalates as Government Forces Clash with Houthi Rebels
The conflict in Yemen has escalated as government forces launched attacks against Iran-backed Houthi rebels along the Red Sea. The Houthis, in turn, fired into neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen's government. This escalation adds pressure on global oil supplies and prices, potentially giving Iran leverage in its war with the United States.
Over 80,000 people have been displaced since September, according to the UN, as the impoverished country risks descending into another civil war. The Houthis' advance puts them just 20 miles from a major US base in Djibouti on the other side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Yemeni government vowed to send more forces to the Red Sea coast and fight back against the Houthi rebels, who have captured the port city of Mokha and an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. A senior government official described the collapse of government forces in the port city as 'painful and regrettable.'