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Yemeni civilians celebrate while riding in the back of a pickup truck in the Bani Matar district, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026, as they follow a convoy carrying Houthi prisoners freed in Mokha on its way to Sanaa following the Houthi takeover of the southern Red Sea port city.
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Houthi rebels backed by Iran have made a swift advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast, causing thousands to flee. The Associated Press on Saturday spoke with some of those on the run. Some residents of Aden, under Yemen's internationally recognized government, are opening their homes to the displaced. The United Nations warns the escalating fighting could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe and return to civil war. The rebels' advance also threatens a key global shipping route as they now perch at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Meanwhile, Iraq says the attack that closed a Saudi oil pipeline originated from its territory.
The conflict in Yemen is intensifying, as government forces launch attacks against Iran-backed Houthi rebels along the Red Sea and Houthis fire into neighboring Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen’s government. The Yemeni government vowed Sunday to send more forces to the Red Sea coast. Last week, Houthis captured the port city of Mokha and an island on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. The United Nations reports that over 80,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since September. The Houthis' advance puts them closer to a major U.S. base in Djibouti.
A crucial Saudi oil pipeline that was struck in an attack will mostly be out of service for weeks as the damage is repaired. That's according to two regional officials. The East-West Pipeline, which runs across the kingdom, is key to Saudi Arabia’s strategy of shifting its oil exports to the Red Sea to avoid the Persian Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian attacks have stifled shipping. An attack that Saudi Arabia blamed on drones from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq forced the shutdown of the pipeline on Thursday. The officials, who have been briefed on the matter, said repairing the damage could take three to five weeks.
