Yemeni Civil War Escalates as Government Forces Counterattack Houthi Rebels Amid US Rejection of Support

As the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen expand their control over the Red Sea, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have launched a counteroffensive to recapture key strongholds.

AFP and Yemen's state-run Saba news agency reported that Yemeni government forces destroyed Houthi vehicles and weapons and killed militants near the Red Sea port of Mokha on the 12th local time.

Citing a government military spokesperson, Saba reported that targets near the port of Mokha were also struck.

The government forces' attack began as the Houthis—part of the Axis of Resistance led by Iran with the banner of defeating the US and Israel in the Middle East—rapidly took control of key strategic locations in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea.

In addition to the port of Mokha, the Houthis have reportedly captured Perim Island, a strategic stronghold necessary for controlling the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a major crude oil shipping route.

If the Houthis secure control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Saudi Arabia will face blockades on its crude oil shipping routes through the Red Sea in the west, following the Hormuz Strait already blocked by Iran in the east.

The Houthis stated on the same day that Saudi hostile aircraft carried out 129 airstrikes on areas under their control over the past 48 hours.

Earlier, US online media outlet Axios and other sources reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made two phone calls to President Trump asking for US support to attack the Houthis, but President Trump refused.

President Trump acknowledged that he spoke with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the same day, but did not provide detailed explanations regarding whether he refused support or the circumstances surrounding it.

However, at a press conference in Ireland that day, he mentioned that the Houthis had called him to say they do not want to fight the US, signaling his intention not to participate in attacks against the Houthi rebels.

With the resumption of clashes between government forces and rebels, the Yemeni civil war is once again showing signs of intensification.

The Yemeni civil war began in 2014 when Houthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa, and after a lull following a 2012 truce, the scale of clashes has been growing since July.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), a UN agency, stated in a release that day that the number of displaced persons in Yemen has reached 76,000 since July.

The IOM noted that more than 70,000 of them occurred since September, and the number of displaced persons counted this week is four times the total of last week.

The IOM expressed concern, stating, "Most of the displaced are moving in family units and often traveling at night," adding, "There is nowhere safe for them to go."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.