Houthis threaten more Saudi strikes as UN warns of humanitarian crisis in Yemen
Estimated 100,000 Yemenis displaced amid renewed fighting as Qatar sounds alarm over Bab al-Mandab strait
TL;DR
- Saudi cities face potential second day of Houthi attacks amid escalating fighting in Yemen.
- The UN warns of a humanitarian crisis, with 100,000 Yemenis already displaced.
- Qatar cautions that Houthi control of the Bab al-Mandab strait would be catastrophic for global trade.
- Oil prices rose sharply after Saudi Arabia suspended loadings at its Red Sea port of Yanbu.
- Saudi Aramco shut down its East-West pipeline due to a Houthi drone attack.
- Iran's foreign minister is in Beijing to discuss China's potential role in resolving the Strait of Hormuz dispute.
- The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas transits, remains largely closed for commercial traffic.
- The prospect of both Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab straits being under the control of anti-western forces is a significant strategic concern for the US and Europe.
- Western governments are providing intelligence and strategic help to anti-Houthi forces in Yemen.
- Yemen's ministry of foreign affairs calls for an end to Saudi interference in Yemeni affairs.