Yemeni refugees flee across Bab al-Mandab as fighting with Houthis intensifies
Some of the refugees whom Gardner interviewed are from the town of Dhubab, which the BBC noted is on the front lines of the war between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed pro-government Yemeni forces.
Thousands of Yemeni refugees have fled by boat across the Bab al-Mandab Strait into northern Djibouti due to intensifying fighting with the Houthis, according to BBC correspondent Frank Gardner. The refugees, many of whom were interviewed in the northern African nation, described harrowing experiences as their towns have become battlegrounds in the war between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces.
Ibrahim Issa, a 50-year-old fisherman from the town of Dhubab, told Gardner that he could not bear watching his children in terror, and that they began screaming and shouting at the sound of military aircraft. The refugees emphasized that they fled not in consideration of which side was attacking them, but because of the indiscriminate bombing.
This account of the refugees' plight comes as the situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate, with the United States considering renewed military action against the Houthis. President Donald Trump had been weighing the option of strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis, following repeated appeals from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but ultimately decided against it.
The planned strikes were halted at a late stage, as military commanders had already prepared for the operation.
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