Saudi-led coalition and Houthis trade strikes as Yemen conflict deepens

The Saudi-led coalition and Houthis have resumed airstrikes in Yemen, escalating a conflict that has claimed over 500 lives since last week's Houthi offensive aimed at capturing territory near the Bab al-Mandab strait. More than 50 attacks, targeting areas including Taiz and Hodeida, have been reported, with hundreds of people killed in ongoing clashes, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Mohammed Khudairi, a displaced person, expressed the dire situation, stating that while some have fled, others remain trapped. Recently, the Houthis set oil sites ablaze and injured 73, their heaviest missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia in years. In response, the Saudi-led military coalition reported 32 dead and seven injured from strikes on a prison days earlier, with rescue and recovery efforts still underway.

The conflict has intensified due to the broader Middle East war, which erupted in late February following US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Analysts suggest the Houthis aim to tighten control over oil shipments through the Red Sea, a vital trade route. The Saudi coalition's spokesman confirmed Houthi missile and drone strikes on multiple cities, while the Houthi military spokesman claimed 54 airstrikes by the Saudi forces in the past 12 hours.

The Institute for the Study of War believes Hodeida, a key Red Sea port, could be the ultimate objective of the Saudi-backed forces, posing a significant blow to the Houthis. The ongoing hostilities risk reigniting a devastating conflict that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and one of the world's worst humanitarian crises since the Houthis seized Yemen's capital in 2014 and ousted the internationally recognized government in 2015.