Fighting in Yemen intensifies, and Houthis launch more attacks on Saudi Arabia

Fighting escalated in Yemen on Sunday as government troops clashed with Iran-backed Houthi rebels on the Red Sea and launched attacks into neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Yemeni government pledged to dispatch additional forces to the Red Sea coast following a "painful" recent loss when Houthi forces seized the port city of Mokha and an island near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital shipping route.

The United Nations reported that over 80,000 people had been displaced by the conflict since early September. One witness recounted a harrowing night of fleeing from Khawkha town in Hodeida province as a mortar shell exploded nearby, leaving a scene of burning vehicles and bodies scattered across the road.

Saudi authorities issued sirens in the southern city of Abha and Khamis Mushait province, ordering residents to seek shelter from possible incoming fire. The Houthis claimed to have utilized drones and missiles to strike Saudi Arabia, including a military base just across the border. A projectile reportedly struck a mosque and other buildings near the Red Sea border, causing injuries to two people.

The Saudi civil defense reported another projectile landing near the border, damaging infrastructure and prompting concerns over Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping. The Houthis have declared a blockade on Saudi commercial shipping, although they have not threatened other countries with their actions. The conflict has reignited fears of a resurgence in Yemen's civil war, which has already claimed over 150,000 lives and left many in the grip of famine.

The Yemeni military reported airstrikes on Houthi positions in Mokha and the coastal town of Dhubab, as well as attacks by Saudi-backed forces in Taiz province. The Houthis retaliated, claiming to have struck Saudi forces in the region. The Houthis' advance has brought them 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the U.S. military base in Djibouti, a crucial base for American operations in Africa.